


Invisible Friend

by FloraFangfei, Pumpkin2



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bucky Barnes-centric, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Loki (Marvel)-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:35:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 40,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28875798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FloraFangfei/pseuds/FloraFangfei, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pumpkin2/pseuds/Pumpkin2
Summary: Loki died the first day he ran away from home. He became a ghost, hovering over his own body, unable to leave the world until he was free, but no one could hear him, except Bucky. Only those close to death can hear the voices of ghosts.
Relationships: Frigga | Freyja & Loki (Marvel), Hela & Loki (Marvel), Hela & Thor (Marvel), James "Bucky" Barnes & Brock Rumlow, James "Bucky" Barnes & Loki, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) & Tony Stark, Loki & Odin (Marvel), Loki & Thor (Marvel), Peter Parker & Wade Wilson
Comments: 44
Kudos: 47





	1. What is it like to die unexpectedly

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [看不见的朋友](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26191006) by [Pumpkin2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pumpkin2/pseuds/Pumpkin2). 



> My native language is not English, so I'm sorry if there are any grammatical mistakes.
> 
> Thank you @FloraFangfei for being my English proofreader.

1

Loki died the first day he ran away from home.

It wasn’t a planned suicide mission, and he didn’t meet a homicidal maniac. It was an accident, to be precise.

He just got carried away by his anger and didn’t pay attention to where he was treading. On his way to the top of the mountain, he fell into a dry well and broke his neck with a snap.

Death came so suddenly that Loki was caught off guard. His spirit left his body and was floating in mid air, his mind blank as he stared at his corpse, which had started to cool.

The protagonist died in such a hilarious manner when the story had barely begun. Is there anything more ridiculous in the world than this?

Of course there is.

I’m Loki.

2

It was five days after my death, and the flies were already buzzing, but no one had found my body. It’s not their fault. The location of my death is too remote.

The dry well was deep in the wooded hills behind Marvel town, next to an abandoned log cabin where I had planned to spend the night.

To get here, one must cross a rough mountain path, which leads to an endless stretch of cypress trees. The woods were eerie and musty with the smell of earth, and the cawing of crows could be heard from above. Few visitors came, and if I had not been lost when I was a kid, I would not have known this place.

The reason I chose this place was so that I wouldn’t be easily found, and when I decided to run away from home, I had made up my mind to revenge.

The harder they looked, the more embarrassed they were, the better. I just wanted to see them crying and regretting. I’m not going back until they grovel, and that’s what you call revenge, isn’t it?

But now it’s clear that this revenge has gone too far, I had never wanted to die. A selfish man like me could never commit suicide in his life.

But life is full of surprises, like the tennis ball I threw to amuse Fenrir with. If it hadn’t knocked down the family portrait on the wall by accident, I might never have found the document hidden behind the frame.

The adoption papers with my name on them.

3

I should have known.

The sentence flashed through my mind at the first sight of the adoption papers.

I always thought my father treated Thor better than me, he always remembered Thor’s birthday, he planned his gifts a month in advance, when Thor became top 10 in class he was happy as hell, and when Thor became captain of the school basketball team, he wanted the whole town to know.

But even if I had A+ in all my tests and get the highest marks in our grade, he would only nod slightly, with hardly any sign of a smile on his face. “Good job. Keep it up.”

Simple perfunctory words.

I always thought everything was unequal because Thor was the firstborn, or because father liked upbeat athletic boys, so I’ve been trying, trying to get ahead of Thor, trying to get Odin’s attention.

But it wasn’t until I found the adoption papers that I realized it was all for nothing.

Rage swallowed me. I got into a huge fight with my family. I slammed the adoption papers in Odin’s face, pushed away the worried looking Thor, yelled at Hela, shook off Frigga’s carefully extended hand, even though I knew she had always treated me better than Thor.

That dark moonless night, I slammed the door behind me, and with that slammed everything I was trying to escape from. I ran.

I knew I had nowhere else to go. I was a loner. I didn’t have friends. I was running around town aimlessly until I remembered the abandoned cabin in the wooded hills where I might be able spend the night.

I ran down the dark mountain road, worried cries from my family echoing behind me. The night wind slashed across my face like a blade. For some reason, I felt the pleasure of revenge spreading through my heart.

I don’t know how long I run, my lungs were on fire. The landscape around me had been replaced by a pitch black forest, the sound of my family had vanished into the wind. It was then that the outline of the cabin finally appeared before me.

Then the ground vanished beneath my feet. The world was turned upside down, wind was howling in my ears, I fell into the dark well, a sharp pain hit my neck, and Loki Odinson saw the gates of Valhalla.

4

On the first day after my death, my heart was as painful as if it had been crushed over and over again by a street roller.

I couldn’t believe that I was dead, I rushed back and forth towards my twisted body as if it would wake me up and bring me back to life, but the truth was -- my transparent soul just kept going through the cold body, as if I was nothing but a fog.

Then came the agony of realizing the truth. I cried and screamed, I was helpless as a blade of grass in a rainstorm, but no one could hear me -- I was a ghost, after all.

On the third day after my death, I reluctantly accepted that I was no longer human. I even went home – it didn’t matter now, no one could see me anyway.

Odin called the police. Of course he did. He’s got the whole town looking for me.

It’s not a big town, and people rarely go missing. It is a novel experience for most guys. I’m only 13, and people are always more sympathetic to children.

They formed search parties, and went through all parts of town, all with a picture of me in their hands, and they talked about my interests, my life, and where I would be, a few empathetic grandmothers would say, “Oh, Loki’s a good kid. He’ll be fine.” –-it’s the first time I’ve ever been famous.

Thor and Hela stayed home from school and together with Odin they looked for me. They all had dark circles under their eyes like some kind of bizarre makeup, and they looked exhausted.

Frigga stayed home. She printed a stack of flyers with my face on them and cooked delicious meals. She was more worried and wanted to find me more than anyone else, but she was afraid to leave the house-she was afraid I would come home hungry and find the rooms empty.

As night fell, Odin and co returned home exhausted. Frigga always opened the door with hope and closes it with disappointment.

Four people were obviously in grief, but were still trying to comfort each other. I have to admit, a pang of guilt hit me when I heard their suppressed sobs.

If I hadn’t run away in rage, would everything be different?

But there are no ifs in life.

5

It was getting dark, and the night wind was blowing through the trees, rustling the leaves, and rain was coming.

I crouched at the mouth of the well, grudgingly watched the rain gently hit my body --my dark green wool coat was completely destroyed.

I tried to talk to my family, or manipulate a pen or something, to tell them where my body was, but the stories and the movies were all full of lies. Even that Strange Doctor, who claimed to be able to talk to ghosts, couldn’t hear me, and I couldn’t touch a thing.

So I gave up and went back to my body. I hate being alone, and I guess my body does too.

Thunder roared overhead and the rain grew heavier.

At the bottom of the well, the rainwater had formed a puddle, and I suddenly hoped that if it rained hard enough, the body might float up and get washed out of the well, so that the townspeople could find me before I rot.

Perhaps the strength of hope was too strong. I heard a faint cough coming from behind me.

I couldn’t quite hear it over the sound of the rain, but I was sure it was a male, for soon a thin figure stumbled out of the woods.

6

He was about fourteen, with eyes as green as mine, his curly black hair was as wet as his thin coat. He was dragging one leg and was limping as if wounded, and seemed to be in great distress.

I noticed several red welts on his wrist beneath his cuffs. They looked as if he had been hit by a branch.

I knew this boy. His name is James Something. Thor’s best friend Steve had called him Bucky, they seemed to have been in the same orphanage before but then they were adopted by different people.

Steve was adopted by Fury, the Chief of Police, and Bucky’s adoptive father was the good-natured-looking scientist Johann Schmidt, who was so bald and red that the town’s children secretly called him “The Red Skull”.

Bucky limped under the eaves and sat down close to the door. Huddled in a ball, he carefully unzipped his jacket and sniffed at his bruises -- his body was a mess.

He was covered with lash marks, some were red, some brown. The wounds, old and new, interlaced... it was clear that the assailant had carefully avoided the front of his face and his limbs -- he didn’t want anyone to know he had done it, but he didn’t relent.

I couldn’t help but get a little closer.

I didn’t know Bucky very well, and all I knew was what Thor had to say -- and all he knew he heard from Steve.

For example, Steve used to say that Bucky was a very popular kid at the orphanage, very upbeat and outgoing. Steve was very close to him. They even slept in the same bed and shared the same pants. But ever since Bucky moved to Marvel town with the Red Skull, and Steve met him again, Bucky had become a different person. Not only was he less talkative, but also distant from his old friend, cowering in his black jacket, he went straight from home to school and back, without going anywhere else.

“I see…”

I felt as if I had discovered the truth of the matter, and I began mumbling to myself.

As soon as the words left my lips, a dripping wet Bucky sprang to his feet like a cat whose tail had been trampled. He looked in my direction in horror, his voice full of unease.

“Who, who’s there?”

I looked back, puzzled, into the dark cypress trees. Raindrops pitter-pattered on the leaves.

There’s no one in sight.

Then who’s he talking to?

A strange idea came to me and I thought, could it be that…

“Can you hear me? ”

\----------

The next chapter will be in third person.


	2. Ghost threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What It’s like to talk to a ghost。

1

It was a dark and stormy night.

Lightning slashed across the sky, followed by thunder rumbling. The rain draped over the forest like a veil.

There was an abandoned log cabin in the mountains. Beside the log cabin was a dry well. Across the dry well was a gloomy cypress forest. The forest was pitch dark. The only sound being heard of is that of rain beating on the leaves.

It was a perfect setting for horror stories, stuffs like your car being stopped by a lady in white at midnight, or the chainsaw guy goes for a hunt through the woods, or a brainless zombie going nuts... Bucky recalled when they were still in the orphanage, he and Steve often wrap themselves in sheets and secretly watch these “rated movies” late at night.

This ghost’s face is white like flour, that ghost’s makeup looks like it had constipation, and another ghost looks like the director of the orphanage... at that time, every movie was turned into a comedy.

After all, this is the 21st century, and only half-brained cowards believe in ghosts.

That’s what he had thought until a few seconds ago.

Bucky swallowed, looked around, and again made sure he couldn’t see anyone.

But where did that sound come from?

Was he hearing voices?

“Can you hear me?”

Holy shit, there it was again.

Bucky swallowed, his face paled. The owner of the voice seems to be very young and is standing very close, but when Bucky looked around, he could only see a dry well. By the dry well, the rain had churned the ground into mud, and the muddy water had gathered into a puddle, on which were floating a few leaves.

The leaves… are actually leaf fairies?

“Where are you?” Bucky gathered the courage to ask.

“I’m right in front of you.”

Bucky’s heart sank, his face turned white.

“Well… If you ask about the body part of me, it’s in the well.”

“The body part?”

Bucky’s face darkened, but the source-less voice didn’t seem to realize what was wrong, and was still trying to explain.

“Yeah, have you ever heard of an out-of-body experience? After death, the soul is separated from the body, it’s my first time experiencing it, but don’t panic, I’m not a monster, I’m just a regular ghost…”

Bucky hurriedly backed into the cabin and slammed the door shut.

2

Loki looked at the suddenly closed wooden door and laughed quietly.

So this is what being a ghost feels like, and it’s actually kind of fun?

But he soon stopped smiling and shook his head.

“Hey, Loki, you’ve been dead for five days. You’re a mature ghost. There are more important things to do than playing pranks!”

Apparently, the boy could hear him.

Whether it’s a coincidence or due to the legendary psychic constitution... It’s an opportunity for Loki.

A chance to keep him from rotting away at the bottom of the well.

Loki valued decency, and even his death, he didn’t want it to be ugly. He would love to to lie in a coffin when saying goodbye to the world.

Besides, if they find his body, they’d abandon all hope, right? They lives can go back to normal and they won’t waste time looking for him…

Loki must seize this opportunity.

3

There are many advantages to being a ghost, such as not being tired, not being hungry, not doing your homework and not having someone giving you a dirty look... but the most convenient one is that you no longer have to worry about forgetting your keys, because you can walk right through walls, without having to worry about hitting your nose.

Loki went through the closed cabin door.

Behind the door is about 20 square meters of rectangular space, and unlike the broken scene he had imagined, there's a little bit of life left here.

A bald incandescent light bulb hung from the roof, casting a faint yellow light to the ground.

To the left of the room was a wooden table with half a bag of sterile cotton balls, a bottle of alcohol and an open box of trauma medicine.

Bloody cotton balls littered the cracked floor, which was old but not dirty, and apparently had been cleaned recently.

To the right of the room was a single bed against the wall. On the bed, a drenched Bucky was huddling in the corner with a blanket around him, a black dagger clutched in his hand, his eyes glued to the door.

For some reason, Loki didn’t think this was the first time he’s done this.

He seemed to see a wounded boy, stumbling into a hut in the mountains late at night, licking his wounds alone.

What was he running from?

And… who is he hiding from?

Loki’s eyes softened, and so did his voice.

“Why are you so on edge? You can’t see me anyway.”

Bucky jumped out of bed and clung to the wall like a gecko.

“I told you not to be afraid. I know you, and you probably know me.”

Loki sighed. “Even if you didn’t know me before, you should have known me by now. My pictures are all over the town.”

“My name is Loki, I’m an eighth grader at Marvel high, a grade below you. I’m Odin and Frigga’s adop... child, brother of Thor and Hela. I haven’t been missing. I’m dead.”

4

A sudden hush fell upon the cabin.

All I could hear was the rain pounding on the window and Bucky’s ragged breathing.

The dark-haired boy’s eyes widened as if he was trying to find something, but his eyes could not focus.

“… Dead?”

Bucky slid down against the wall, slumped on the bed, the dagger fell from his fingertips and hit the floor with a thud. The look of fear on his face did not go away, but there was something else-- it was sincere grief.

“Why? Someone… killed you?”

“No, it was an accident.”

“… Everyone is looking for you, your family has been looking for you, and they are in grief.”

“I know.”

Loki’s vision blurred and he felt hollow as he tried to wipe away his tears.

Oh, he’s dead. He couldn’t even cry.

5

There was a crash of thunder overhead, and the light bulb flashed twice and went out, engulfing the cabin in darkness.

Bucky scrambled out of bed and groped around the headboard. Loki stood quietly in the dark, waiting for him to light a candle.

“That’s why I’m talking to you. I fell into the dry well outside this house. It’s in the middle of the mountains. It’s too remote. By the time they find me here, I’d have gone moldy.”

Bucky placed the candlestick in the center of the table. The dim light flickered in the dark, shining on his panic-stricken face.

He’s still a little scared. After all, it’s his first time talking to an invisible ghost. Maybe he should just run?

But a ghost he knew is better than a ghost he doesn’t, and Loki’s brother seems to be on good terms with Steve.

“You want me to help them find your body?”

“Yes. I know it’s strange to help a ghost, and you don’t have to say yes, it’s just…”

Loki shrugged, though no one could see it.

“You’re the only one who can hear me so far, and if you won’t help me, then I’ll have to haunt you, my friend. Have you ever heard of spirits stalking you?”

……

Gulp. 

Bucky swallowed.

Was he being threatened by a ghost?

6

Nobody knows how long it took, but the rain stopped.

But the heavy clouds had not cleared, and the woods were still dark.

The door of the cabin opened with a squeak and a warm glow came from behind it. Bucky walked outside with a lamp in his hand.

He pulled out a watch. It read five o’clock in the morning.

His wounds had been treated, and, at the insistence of some voice, he had eaten and drunk a little water, though this did not relax his strained nerves.

Bucky stopped at the dry well, hesitated, raised his lamp and looked down.

The light was dim, but he could see a stiff figure. A cold body was lying at the bottom of the well, its neck unnaturally bent to one side, its pale face swollen with blisters and faintly dotted with shades of gray.

He couldn’t hold his fear any longer. Bucky sat on the floor, his stomach churning, and he was just about to throw up.

“I told you not to look.”

A voice of disapproval sounded out of nowhere.

Loki rolled his eyes.

“Come on, let’s go to Sergeant Fury’s house and tell him you found my body here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My English is bad，I translate it by machine and proofread it.


	3. what is it like to bicker with a ghost

1

After the heavy rain, mist hung over the trees.

The weeds on the side of the road were bent under the weight of the dew. The ants whose homes had been destroyed gathered on the small slope and guarded the last vantage point with trepidation.

Before dawn the forest is always so silent and dark, and there is a damp smell, similar to the one inside a buried coffin.

Suddenly, a light appeared in the darkness.

The light came closer. It seemed as faint as a dying firefly, as if it was about to go out the next second.

The light came from a lantern on the verge of retiring. A boy was carrying it, walking alone on the mountain road.

Fear thrives in quiet and dark places, especially when there is an invisible ghost in the vicinity.

Loki sighed.

It’s a good thing that he’s the ghost.

After seeing what is at the bottom of the well, he thought Bucky would scream or cry and run away… bloating bodies aren’t common, especially when they have a neck bent back at a 90-degree angle. Even the body’s owner, Loki, got chills when he saw it. But Bucky?

He only trembled for a few minutes and then recovered, and after half an hour at most he was walking steadily up the mountain path, looking like a Boy Scout returning from camping.

He was too calm, wasn’t he? It stripped the ghost of his sense of accomplishment!

Loki couldn’t help feeling a little discouraged, and just then, the guy beside him spoke.

“Does dying… hurt?”

2

A crow cawed overhead. Bucky’s heart was pounding.

It was never a good idea to talk to a ghost, but he was so curious that he asked without thinking.

The silence was terrible, and just when Bucky thought there would be no response, response came.

“It hurt at first when I broke my neck, but I didn’t feel it after I was dead.”

Loki’s voice didn’t waver. As if he was talking about someone else.

“So… can you be reincarnated? Can you just go to Heaven if someone buries your body?”

The question was obviously more sensitive. The ghost was also deeply troubled by it, so he didn’t answer with much confidence.

“…maybe.”

Bucky blinked and his emerald eyes lit up.

“Heaven… is it a wonderful place? I heard it’s always spring, there’s no pain, no sorrow, and there is everything you want to eat and everyone you want to see?”

Loki felt stabbed.

“Are you stupid? How should I know? I’ve never been there!”

Bucky’s eyes dimmed. He opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. He hesitated for a moment before he managed to speak.

“Sorry…”

They resumed walking. Silence was restored between the human and the ghost, and all that could be heard was the rustling of shoes against dirt.

Loki thought it was fine, but for some reason, the way Bucky hung his head bothered him a little.

He tutted and swore he was just trying to pass the time.

“… It’s not that you can’t ask questions, but you have to ask what I know.”

Bucky’s eyes lit up again.

“Is it cold when you’re a ghost?”

“No, I don’t feel anything at all, to be exact.”

“Can you really walk through walls?”

“Of course.”

“Do you float or do you walk on your legs like humans?”

“… Like Humans.”

“Do you eat souls?”

“You’ve seen too many movies. I’m more in the mood for caramel pudding.”

“Are you still wearing your clothes when you become a ghost?”

Bucky paused, his eyes widening. “… Are you naked?”

“ … ”

The atmosphere was still for a moment, and then it erupted.

“What is wrong with you? Don't push your luck! I’m a ghost, not an encyclopedia! Can’t you have some basic respect? Just ask me some normal questions!”

The roar startled the crows overhead.

Bucky paused for a moment, then he smiled softly, suddenly realizing how many questions he had just asked.

This is so unlike him. When was the last time he talked this much?

3

When the human and the ghost returned to the town, it was only daybreak, and a few stars were still shimmering in the barely lit sky.

Bucky stopped at a crossroad, then turned left and spoke.

“Loki?”

“… I’m on your right.”

Bucky turned around.

“I promised to call the police for you, but not now.”

The light flickered in its glass case, casting a flickering shadow on Bucky’s face.

“Huh?”

A confused sound came from thin air.

Bucky spoke slowly, as if he was choosing his words.

“Forty-five minutes from now, at exactly 6:00, we’ll meet in front of Sergeant Fury’s house… until then, you’re not coming with me. I have to go home.”

“Why?”

The ghost’s voice clearly showed impatience.

“It’s none of your business, is it?”

Bucky paused, voice suddenly hardening. “Look, you just said I’m the only one who can hear you, so you better do what I say, or else… No one would help you.”

Loki’s eyes widened in disbelief as he floated in mid-air.

He thought he had met a tame sheep, and felt proud for easily manipulating him… but he turned out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing?

Who gave him the nerve to threaten a ghost!

Loki gritted his teeth, silver tongue working, ready to curse, but the words didn’t make it out of his mouth. He sighed.

Well… He’s dead. What could he do? Damn his big mouth. He spilled his own secret in the first place.

“Deal, six o’clock! And you… you mustn’t be late!”

Loki managed through gritted teeth.

“Of course.”

Bucky nodded vigorously.

4

Schmidt’s house is on the northernmost side of Marvel town, right next to an endless forest. It is far from the centre of town and is rarely visited by anyone except postman. Folks believe that this is due to the quiet nature of Mr. Schmidt, who is a scientist. And in the eyes of most people, scientists are always a bit cranky.

Ten minutes after parting with Loki, Bucky inserted a key into the door leading to the Schmidt’s house. He opened the door a crack and slid in like a weasel, making no sound.

The dim light of the morning casted a grayish hue over everything, and Bucky took off his shoes and crept up the stairs, his watchful face reflected in the freshly waxed ivory floor.

As he passed the photo wall, Bucky glanced over his shoulder. Of all the frames, the one in the middle was polished to a shine. Schmidt was holding a dark-haired boy in his arms, a proud smile on his face.

Schmidt is a perfectionist. His life is like clockwork.

Bucky always thought it was a good thing, because it meant he rarely got up before am 5:50.

Its 5:32, good.

Bucky held onto the handrail and went up the stairs to the second floor. He felt relieved, but a sudden sound came from behind him and almost made his heart jump out of his throat.

“Rumlow? What are you doing? ”

It was the deep voice of a middle-aged man. The owner of the voice had apparently not woken up fully from his sleep and sounded vaguely confused.

“Yes, Father.”

Bucky flinched and turned round slowly, trying to keep his voice steady. But his pale face betrayed his fear.

“I couldn’t sleep. I got up to make breakfast.”

5

At dawn the town of Marvel was quiet, and no one could be seen in the street.

But if you're a psychic, maybe you can see a ghost.

Loki wandered the streets aimlessly. He moaned in front of his Lost notice, complaining that Frigga had chosen the photo so carelessly that didn’t even remove the dark circles under his eyes. He stood in front of the Starks’ house, commenting on their gold letterbox with a dragon head carved into it. He passed the time in various ways, but no matter what he did, he could not calm down, and anxiety piled up in his chest, making him breathless.

Should he really call the police?

What will his family do when they see his body?

He’s just an adopted son, they didn’t even care…

But, but…

Why did he care so much?

The next thing he knew, he was at the door of his house. The porch light was still on.

Loki floated through the front door, and when he opened his eyes, he was by the shoe closet.

Frigga is a neat person, and the places she has spent time in are always spotless, and all the shoes are always stacked in size order.

But now the shoes were scattered on the floor, and the carpet was stained with mud.

Loki was not surprised that someone was awake, but he was surprised that it was Thor.

6

Thor sat on the couch with a map of the town in his hand and a frown on his face.

The look didn’t suit him. He was always the most optimistic member of the family, always cheerful, and everyone liked him, complimented him on his bravery, and tolerated his recklessness, except Loki.

Loki was jealous of him, even a little resentful. He complained that his brother was shining too bright, and when he stood by Thor’s side, it seemed that no one would ever see him again.

So he chased after Thor, trying to outdo him, be better than him. But no matter how hard he tried, Odin’s eyes never seemed to fall on him, which at one point made Loki desperate.

He even found relief in the knowledge that he was adopted.

“It means you didn’t lose to Thor in terms of ability,” he told himself. “You just didn’t have an equal starting line.”

Yeah, maybe that’s the truth.

But which made him more desperate, an unequal starting line or losing to Thor?

“Brother…”

A sigh pulled Loki back to reality, and he looked at Thor in shock and thought that Thor had found him.

Thor covered his face wearily, his blond hair a tangled mess of autumn weeds.

“Where on earth are you?

“Please come back... If you can come back, blame me all you want.

“It’s all my fault. Why didn’t I know sooner…”

At dawn, Thor sat alone in an empty living room and moaned silently. A stack of printed lost notices slid off the coffee table and scattered on the floor.

For the first time in his life, this fearless young man felt a sense of despair. But he never knew that the person he was worried about was standing just a few feet in front of him, staring right at him.

He was all the emerald green eyes were seeing.

7

“You’re late.”

The voice on Bucky’s right caught him off guard.

Subconsciously, he tugged at his sleeve. “Only two minutes late.”

“Still late.” The ghost was dissatisfied.

“Is that a backpack you’re carrying?”

Bucky nodded. “I’m going straight to school later.”

Loki had always disliked school, and felt that it was for the popular and the athletic kids, neither of which he was very good at.

Now he never had to go to school.

“Then make it quick,” Loki said dryly.

Bucky nodded and went into Sergeant Fury’s yard.

Half a minute later, the door was opened by a blond teenager.

\----------

1⃣️ In this story, the Red Skull adopted Bucky and Fury adopted Steve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are welcome. I love it.


	4. Silent questioning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki’s questions about Odin.

Loki’s questions about Odin.

1

Thor was tying his shoes when the doorbell rang.

He had a stack of lost notices under his arm and a map in his pocket. The map was marked with red Xs, crossing out all the places they’d already looked.

Today he was planning to head south to Town D, where Loki is unlikely to go to due to the distance, but Thor was willing to try his luck.

Thor opened the gate. There stood Sergeant Fury and Officer Barton. Ever since Loki disappeared, they’ve been regular guests at the Odinson Household.

Fury nodded to Thor, with a slightly hesitant look on his face.

“Have you found my brother?”

Upon hearing the noise at the door, Hela ran from her bedroom. Dark circles could be seen under her eyes.

Fury didn’t seem to hear her. He just patted Thor on the shoulder.

“Thor, please tell your parents to come out.”

“Have you found my brother?”

Hela repeated, but this time in a much tougher tone, and she glared at Fury as if he was responsible for Loki’s disappearance.

“I’m sorry, kid.”

Officer Barton took the lead and gave Hela a sympathetic look that almost instantly broke down Hela’s psychological defenses.

“What do you mean? What happened to Loki?”

Barton averted his eyes from the aggressive teenager. He didn’t know what to say, he couldn’t just tell her -- “Oh, I’m sorry, we found your brother, but only his body, and he’s lying there like a frozen fish in a cold morgue, waiting to be claimed.”

Hela was never one to be fooled. She suddenly hurtled herself towards Barton and nearly ran into the officer. Thor grabbed her sleeve by reflex.

“Officer, please answer my question.”

Odin and Frigga arrived. Frigga’s eyes wandered between Hela and Barton, a little confused about what’s going on.

“Sergeant Fury, may I ask…”

Fury looked at Thor and Hela, hesitating whether to send them away or not, but he sighed and gently removed his hat.

“I’m sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Odinson, but we found your son, and… He’s dead.”

The air was suddenly sucked out.

Hela took a step back and stared at Fury in shock.

Odin squinted with the only eye he had, and he didn’t seem to understand what the sergeant was saying.

“I beg your pardon?”

“We found your son’s body in a dry well behind the hill. After investigation, we confirmed that it was an accident.”

“You must be mistaken.”

Frigga’s Lips quivered and she managed to pull the corners of her mouth into a dry smile.

“Loki was fine when he left the house. You didn’t… are you sure it was him?”

Chief Fury shook his head in deep sorrow.

“A DNA match has been made. It’s Loki Odinson. He’s in the morgue at the Town Hospital. Do you…”

Thor’s mind was buzzing. The voices around him seemed distant.

He had thought of a thousand bad endings.

His brother was cold and hungry and had lost weight when they found him.

His brother resented them and would rather go to an orphanage than go home.

His brother was kidnapped and was forced to labor in the cold, dark depths of a coal mine.

His brother fell down and broke his leg in the pouring rain…

The only thing he never thought of was that his brother would die.

Frigga collapsed to the floor with a thump.

2

In the basement of the Town hospital.

The eerie green glow of the fire escape signs on the walls made the dimly lit hallway seem gloomier.

Loki crouched on a bench by the wall, hugging himself. Behind him, separated by a wall, was the morgue, where his body lay.

After ruling out the possibility of murder, they straightened his head and covered it with a white cloth.

Bucky was dragged away by Steve right after talking to Fury, probably to go to school. Loki didn’t know, and he’s not in the mood to figure it out.

He just stood by the white cloth, examining the outline of his own corpse -- he could not touch the cloth, he could not even lift it.

Loki thought that humans are funny creatures indeed.

When powerful, they can do anything they want, and call themselves “mother nature’s greatest creation”. A few words by certain people could set off a world war.

But when vulnerable, they are weaker than ants, and might parish instantly with a slight “crack”.

A few moments later, Sergeant Fury brought in the Odinsons.

Frigga couldn’t stop crying ever since she stepped into the morgue.

Of course she cried. She was the only one who really cared about Loki with all her heart. Growing up, no matter what, she was the only one who would always spread her arms for Loki.

Loki felt a stab in his heart when he remembered that the last thing he had said to her the night he ran away had been “You’re a liar”.

Loki was startled by someone shouting. Hela was arguing with the police. She asked them angrily how it had happened. She blamed them for not finding him sooner, she questioned, she screamed, she wouldn’t back down... that was Hela.

Loki clenched her fists. When he was a child, she would take his hand and rage after the bad boys who had bullied him.

And Thor.

Loki could barely look Thor in the face.

It had never occurred to him that his brother, who was as fearless as the sun, would have this look on his face -- empty and bewildered, like a drowning man with his hands bound, sinking to the bottom of the lake without a chance to struggle.

He’s desperate.

His brother was desperate?

As for Odin, he is the only one who is calm and collected as if nothing happened.

He held Frigga in his arms as she collapsed from crying he stared at the body of his adopted son with unmoving eyes, and even yell at Hela to stop snarling.

Loki stormed out of the morgue.

3

There was a sudden ringing of a cell phone in the mortuary behind him.

Loki frowned and looked angrily in the direction of the door. He recognized the sound.

Sure enough, Odin hurried out a few seconds later, lowering his voice and explaining something to the other end of the phone. His tone was eerily calm, as if he had come today to visit a lettuce or a carrot instead of the corpse of his son.

Loki shrank away from the bench, trying to get as far away from Odin as possible. But the norms didn’t seem to favor him and Odin hung up the phone and walked straight towards him. He sat on the other end of the bench and put the phone in the pocket of his suit.

Loki looked at the fire escape sign on the opposite wall. He tried to focus his gaze on it. The fact that Odin is sitting next to him made him very uncomfortable. When he was alive, for countless times he had wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with this “Father” and talk about schoolwork or even family gossip. He treasured every look and smile in Odin’s eyes, and he fought tooth and nail for a compliment… but what did he get?

Being ignored? Estranged? Or the obviously different attitude towards the two brothers?

Should Loki feel grateful for Odin’s adopting him?

Loki was trembling with anger, he thought he might jump up the next second and curse in Odin’s face.

But suddenly he heard a sob.

… Wait, what?

Loki turned his head in disbelief.

He saw Odin bury his whole face in the big palm of his hand. The proud middle-aged man seemed to have aged ten years in the blink of an eye. His back was hunched, his shoulders were trembling slightly with grief. Tears ran through his fingers and dripped onto the floor of the hospital hallway.

All the other sounds around him seemed to vanish, and Loki stared straight at Odin.

His adoptive father was choking with sobs.

“I‘m sorry…”

Loki suddenly went livid.

“Who are you to cry!”

The boy sprang to his feet in rage.

“So you are sorry now? Don’t act like you’ve ever really cared about me!”

Loki’s voice was shaking, and he clenched his fists in an effort not to cry.

“You’re the murderer! You killed me!”

“Have you ever paid attention to me? Have you really praised me? You haven’t even showed up at school open days! ”

“Why are you crying? Why are you apologizing to me? Did you think about how I might feel when you praised Thor? Did you give me the same love as Thor?”

“You have failed my love and you have failed my efforts… Do you really think I will forgive you if you show weakness?”

Loki stood in front of Odin, gritted his teeth and shouted as loudly as he could.

“Never! I will never forgive you!”

In the empty corridor, a ghost sat on the floor and cried.

But the man across from him couldn’t even hear him.

\----------

Loki’s funeral will be in the next chapter.


	5. what’s it like to go to your own funeral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time there was a ghost who had to go to his own funeral.

1

“Hela, what is ‘death’?”

Thirteen-year-old Hela Odinson sighed and looked up reluctantly from behind her comic book.

Her five-year-old brother is flashing his two large emerald eyes at her and carefully tugging at a corner of her skirt.

“I want to play with the bunny, but Thor said the bunny was ‘dead’. What’s ‘dead’?”

”… Call me sister.”

Hela glanced at the boy disapprovingly and reached out to poke at his pink cheek.

“‘Dead’ is like broken.”

“The bunny is broken?” The emerald green eye blinked. “Can we fix it? I have a glue stick that mommy gave me! ”

The young girl furrowed her pretty eyebrows.

“Well… ‘Dead’ is being broken and can’t be fixed, like being ‘lost’. You know ‘lost’? Like your old favorite teddy bear, gone, never to be found again.”

The boy’s eyes suddenly dimmed, his long eyelashes fluttering, threatening to be over flooded with tears any moment.

“Oh, don’t you cry!”

Hela hurriedly reached down and patted her brother on the shoulder. She couldn’t stand to see someone cry in front of her, especially someone like Loki, who couldn’t stop crying! Frigga would scold Hela for being mean to him again.

“Everyone will die. It’s the law of nature. Isn’t it what adults always say? Restrain your grief and accord with inevitable changes.”

“Restrain……my grief? What does this mean?”

Hela sighed. Why couldn’t she use simple words?

“You can’t cry even if you’re sad.”

The boy frowned. He always felt that the explanation was not quite right.

“So... Will Hela die too?”

“Call me sister.”

The boy’s face suddenly clouded over.

“Will Thor and mommy and daddy die too?”

“Am I going to die too?”

Hela rolled her eyes and felt that things were getting more complicated. She’s only thirteen. Why was she even talking about this!

“… You are too young to think about this. If anyone should die, it will be the old guy first and then mother, then I and then Thor, and you will be the last.”

“I don’t want it!”

The boy shook his head hard, his little fists clenched so tightly that he looked as if he was about to cry.

“I don’t want to be left alone! I… I’m afraid of being alone…”

There was a sudden rush of footsteps outside the door.

“Loki! Brother!”

A small blond head shot into Hela’s Room, smiling cheerfully and jumped into Loki’s arms like a little leopard.

“I know what death is!”

Thor opened his mouth and raised his chin in triumph.

“I asked mom! Death is being cooked!”

“Do you remember the roast meat we had for lunch? The one you said was delicious! That was the bunny. Mom roasted the bunny and put some pepper-salt on it…”

Thor held his head up and licked his lips as he spoke. He had made himself hungry and didn’t even notice that the child in front of him has his expression changed.

Loki’s face was wrinkled like a shriveled apple, and within a few seconds thoughts started churning in his head --the bunny was pepper-salt flavored? The bunny was the roast meat? I ate the bunny?

The five-year-old boy couldn’t take it any more and he burst into tears.

“Waaaaah -- why eat the bunny!”

Hela felt like her head was going to explode. Are kids made of screaming chickens? How can they howl so much?

Thor, the boy who caused his brother to cry, was confused. He grabbed Loki by the shoulder and said, “Brother, why are you crying? Are You Hungry? Hela, do you have any food?”

Hela glanced at her blond brother and, suddenly enraged, raised her hand and hit Thor on his head.

“Call me sister, stupid!”

2

There are some things in this world that cannot be explained by common sense, such as why it always rains on the day of a funeral.

Loki watched the dark sky over the cemetery, figuring that in an hour at the most, it would be raining heavily in Marvel town.

It was five days after the body was found. Loki invited himself to his own funeral. In terms of experience, it’s quite novel.

He had thought that his corpse was ugly beyond saving, but after being managed by the Undertaker, his swollen skin became tight, and his black hair, which was as messy as seaweed, was perfectly combed, even his ashen cheeks has returned to its usual color…

Makeup is amazing, Loki thought.

If he had a chance to grow up, he’d love to try black nail polish.

3

“Loki Odinson, he’s a good boy…”

At the funeral, people used a similar opening line to extol Loki. The familiar, the unfamiliar, people they’ve met before and ones they haven’t… everyone at the funeral suddenly seemed to be his friends and relatives, grieving his death and the loss of the Odinson family.

Everyone was upset except the Odinsons themselves, who stood stiffly beside the body like a set of themed sculptures entitled “numbness”.

All of a sudden, Loki decided that he hated funerals.

After the Odinsons learned of his death, he stayed with them, not only because he had nowhere to go, but because -- he wanted to see how they would react.

Would there be grief? Or indifference?

But what Loki experienced more often was silence.

After returning from the town hospital morgue, the huge Odinson house suddenly seemed empty. The house was eerily quiet although all four family members were present.

Everyone seemed to have a lot on their plate. Apart from necessary communication, very few people spoke.

Only in the dead of night could Loki hear a muffled sob or two.

Loki knew that his family was not strong. They just didn’t want to worry the living.

It’s not just the silence around the house or the growing dust on the floor of Loki’s room that made one uneasy. It’s the pity in the eyes of those around him.

“I’m sorry about your boy.”

Neighbors, co-workers, even the newspaper boy... Everyone said so.

The town of Marvel is too small, and the slightest whiff of trouble could set the whole place abuzz. These “empathetic” sympathies are a constant reminder to the Odinsons that Loki is dead and will never return.

4

As Mr. Xavier, the principal of Marvel Middle School, began delivering the eulogy, Loki finally ran out of patience. Without hesitation, he turned, walked through the crowd, and made a beeline for the outskirts of the cemetery.

Here “through” literally means “through”. Being a ghost has its advantages, no matter how crowded the people were, you don’t have to go around them.

As he reached the outermost layer of the crowd, Loki saw a familiar person.

Bucky, in a slightly baggy black suit, stood next to Mr. Schmidt. He was looking around carefully, as if searching for something.

The corners of Loki’s mouth quirked upwards, and he quickly walked over to Bucky and whispered.

“Are you looking for me?”

Sure enough, Bucky was taken aback.

He took a sharp step backward, first glancing nervously at Mr. Schmidt to make sure he had not noticed what was happening around him before whispering.

“Loki?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

5

Steve Rogers tugged at his tie to make sure it was straight before he followed Sergeant Fury to the Odinsons. He’s not used to this kind of thing.

“Mrs. Odinson, I am so sorry about your son.”

“Thank you, Steve.” Frigga managed to nod. She had always liked the upright blond boy, but she was in no mood today.

Thor and Steve walked side by side toward the cemetery.

“Thor, are you… all right?”

Steve was never good at comforting people, but he knew what he had to say, and Thor was his friend, and he’s obviously very upset.

“Of course I’m all right. What could be wrong with a scatterbrained guy like me?”

Thor sighed softly, his face expressionless.

“How foolish of me.

“I thought it was just a normal argument.

“I thought Loki was going to be okay, as usual, as soon as he gets over it.

“Even when I saw the adoption papers, I thought Loki had just run away in a fit of rage, that he would come back anyway…

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t I know the truth sooner? Why didn’t I grab Loki the night he ran out?”

Thor suddenly smiled, tears rolled down his cheeks.

“How frightened he must have been. Loki had always been afraid of being alone, ever since he was a kid. Thunder on a rainy night made him shiver, but I let him die alone at the bottom of a dark well…”

“Thor, it’s not your fault that Loki died.” Steve sighed and put his hand on his best friend’s shoulder.

Thor shook his head.

“Then whose fault is that? Who should I blame?”

\----------

1⃣️ The next chapter begins with some gory violence.

The first section was inspired by the author’s own experience. When I was a kid, I went to my Grandma’s house and found a rabbit. The rabbit was very cute, I liked it and played with it for most of the day. Then in the afternoon, the rabbit suddenly disappeared. I asked my mother where the rabbit went, my mother smiled mysteriously, and by dinner time, there was an unfamiliar dish at the table…


	6. three conversations, four people, one ghost,and one asshole

1

When calm, Johann Schmidt preferred slim branches.

The crisp sound of the branches slashing through the air always made him smile.

“Oh Rumlow, you’re giving me a headache.”

He generally liked to whip the calf, where there is not much fat, which made the beating very painful, but will not cause much harm. That’s why Bucky always wore pants.

Sometimes, Schmidt wasn’t so calm.

He would pace up and down the wooden floor in leather sole Oxfords. The sound of his footsteps chimed Bucky’s heart.

Schmidt would be frowning and would often be carrying a specially made leather whip soaked in salt water.

“James, you shouldn’t have done that. You’ll regret it.”

He would order Bucky to take off his coat and cover his head -- not for protection, of course, but because he didn’t want to leave marks too obvious for the neighbors to see.

And then the whip would come down, again and again, hitting Bucky in the back.

Red and swollen welts were often the first to appear. When the welts overlapped, some of the welts would open and blood would flow down.

For a long time after that, Bucky wouldn’t be able to sleep. He had to lay face-down, but even lying face-down wouldn’t guarantee him falling asleep.

The tearing from his back gnawed at him like a worm, and his tears would soak the pillow.

At other times, Schmidt could almost be described as crazy.

He would grab Bucky by the hair and drag him into the dark basement, ignoring the boy’s cries and struggles.

With each step, Bucky’s fear grew heavier.

He feared the damp air around him, the dim incandescent light above his head and the whip in his foster father’s hand, and he feared… what had happened in the basement.

“Please --”

It was a nightmare, worse than Schmidt’s whip.

By the time he reached the bottom of the basement, Schmidt would throw Bucky to the ground.

There would be a scarlet glint in his eyes, ready to stir like a bloodthirsty behemoth. He would start with a growl, with an unchanging topic.

“You’re nothing like Rumlow, you impostor.”

Then he would grab whatever torture device he could get his hands on and whip it in Bucky’s face.

The pain wouldn’t stop until Bucky fainted.

2

“Poor Mrs. Odinson, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

Johann Schmidt smiled an understanding smile. He was dressed in a starched black suit, with a close-cropped beard, and if you only looked at his appearance, you would think he was an upright and kind man.

“I know how you are feeling,” sighed Schmidt. “You may have heard that my oldest son, Rumlow, also died of a terrible illness last year.”

“Thank you.”

Frigga nodded. She had heard of Rumlow, that the child’s body had been taken away by his mother, and that the funeral had not been held in the town.

Frigga suddenly remembered something, “By the way, where is your youngest son?”

“James? He said he had a stomachache and left.”

Schmidt smiled with resignation. “The kid must have eaten something unclean this morning.”

Frigga smiled weakly. “Please tell James we’re grateful. We heard from Sergeant Fury that he was the one who first found Loki’s… body.”

Schmidt’s smile stiffened. “Oh?”

“The body was found far back in the hills, and if it wasn’t for your son, we might have had a hard time finding Loki…” The image of Loki’s pale body returned to Frigga and she shivered. Hela took her hand in a hurry.

Schmidt’s eyes flashed, but only for a moment, and soon he was smiling again.

“I’m glad my son could help.”

3

The wind was rising in the cemetery.

Bucky was walking alone on the grass with his hands in his pockets. It was a long way from where the funeral had been held. It was quiet, except for the sound of the wind and the sound of the soles of shoes stepping on the ground.

“Loki, have you ever seen another ghost after your death?” Bucky asked the air around him.

“No,” a voice came from nowhere. “Why do you ask?”

Bucky nodded. “That means… ghosts will eventually find peace, and maybe when they bury you, you’ll go to Heaven.”

“You are so attached to Heaven,” the ghost said scornfully. “I haven’t seen anything like Death ever since I’ve died, and if you ask me..。 Heaven and hell are all made-up lies.”

Bucky kicked a pebble and suddenly got nervous. “The other day at the morgue… I’m sorry I left.”

“Why apologize?” The ghost was puzzled. “No one wants to stay in that horrid place. It’s normal for you to choose to leave when faced with a bloated corpse.”

“No.”

Bucky shook his head. “Though you were dead, you must have been scared. I mean… I should have waited with you until your parents came.”

Loki seemed amused. “We’re not related. You don’t have to. You helped me call the police. Our deal is over. Besides… the sergeant’s son came looking for you.”

Bucky paused and responded, “Steve wasn’t supposed to have anything to do with me.”

“Why? I think he likes you.”

Bucky’s voice dropped. “I’m… not worth it.”

“What do you mean not worth it? Relationships are two-sided. If he doesn’t think you’re worth it, he’ll leave.”

Bucky stopped and watched the dark sky overhead as a raindrop fell on his face.

“Steve’s a good guy. He… He doesn’t know me.”

4

“I don’t think I understand Loki,” Thor said in a tearful voice.

He sat facing Steve, with his back to an oak tree. He was not old enough to buy a beer, but he had smuggled one out of the family’s refrigerator.

“When I was a kid, he followed me around like my shadow, and he went wherever I went. It was so easy to make him laugh, all it took was a toffee or a bar of chocolate… I didn’t realize that everything had changed.”

Thor took a sip of beer. The bitter taste made him frown.

“We drifted apart, I joined the basketball team, he joined the literature club, and we said nothing to each other except for an hour a day at dinner. So was the day he ran away. If I hadn’t gone to basketball practice… I could have been there when he found the adoption papers.”

“You have to stop blaming yourself,” said Steve, grabbing the can of beer from Thor’s hand.

“What could you have done about it? The real son tells the adopted son to take it easy, Loki will only get angrier. It’s your parents’ fault for not hiding the documents properly.”

Thor laughed through tears. “That’s a weird thing to say. Are you saying my parents should have kept Loki in the dark?”

Steve nodded. “Tell the truth in the beginning or forever keep the secret. That’s what I think.”

Steve sighed. “I actually understand your brother. I’m an orphan, too, and I know what it’s like. It’s just that I was 12 when Fury adopted me, and I knew I was adopted, and Fury didn’t have any other kids.”

Thor hung his head. “The day Loki ran away, he said he had been living in my shadow and he just wanted to be my equal… I didn’t know what that meant at the time, and if I did, maybe I could have caught him before he ran away…”

Steve patted his friend on the shoulder.

“Thor, not everything in this world works out the way you want it to. There will always be bad things and problems to deal with.”

“But I don’t think you have any worries.”

Steve smiled. “I don’t? Bucky’s killing me. He’s not my brother, but we’ve been together since we were kids.”

“He left the orphanage when he was 10, and we didn’t see each other for four years. I’m really happy to see him again in this town.”

“But… I felt like after the reunion, Bucky had been avoiding me.” Steve said, taking a sip of his beer. “It makes me feel bad.”

Thor wiped his eyes, feeling a little upset for his best friend’s depression. He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly put his hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry Steve, I’ve lost Loki, I won’t let you lose Bucky!”

Thor scratched his head and grinned. “Thanks, man. I’m so happy that you were here today.”

Steve smiled too, and shoved the empty beer can into Thor’s hand.

“Thor, beer is a terrible drink. You might want to get a soda next time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1⃣️Yeah, crossbones was the Winter Soldier’s brother, but he was dead. he was the Red Skull’s own son and Bucky was adopted.
> 
> 2⃣️The next chapter will take a slightly larger turn, it’s sort of a small climax.


	7. Once Upon a time there was a god of death who was late for work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death came, but he was late.

Life is like roulette. No one knows what will happen next. If you are already late, walk slowly. -- Reaper number 233(Wade Wilson)

1

**It was a sunny day.**

**Wade waddled down a country road, humming a tune he just made up. He named the piece** **“** **Before the end of the day** **”** **to mark a day doomed to tedium.**

**Wade loved big cities, with its tacos, superhero comics, murder cases and display of chaotic human nature. Every client is full of stories, and every story is crazy enough.**

**But unfortunately, his luck had never been good, when selecting his responsible area, he avoided all the Metropolis, and was assigned to this damn place.**

**Marvel Town? Wade tutted.**

**He hated rural towns, most of which were dull and unexciting. People here tend to live long and prosper. In terms of the number of potential clients, it is not a place worth paying attention to.**

**If you personify this town, it must be a nun with a poker face? She spends her days arranging flowers and singing songs and lives a simple life.**

**Wade played with these thoughts as he went through the memo in his phone. Under the** **“** **Work** **” column** **was a file labeled** **“** **Human** **”. In it was** **a single photo.**

**It was of a dark-haired boy whose name was…**

2

Hela held a black umbrella above Frigga’s head as it rained heavily.

The ground beneath them began to get muddy, and some of the townsfolk who had not brought their umbrellas had left early. But the sad atmosphere didn’t evaporate. It grew thicker.

The rain drummed on the pitch-black coffin, the sound intertwined with a low funeral march, as if mourning for Loki’s young soul.

“Aren’t you going to… go and take a last look?”

Bucky was cowering behind a tree, gazing out over the burial site. He was a little relieved to find that the “Red Skull” had gone.

“What’s there to see? Go up and say goodbye to my own body?”

The ghost didn’t respond kindly, but Bucky’s next words caught his attention.

“No, I mean your family.”

Bucky hesitated. “Your funeral will be over soon.” he said slowly. “Maybe when the last shovel of dirt is dropped in place, a reaper will come down from the sky and take you to heaven, and you may never see them again…”

“I never want to see them again!”

Loki’s voice shot up, anger burning in his chest.

“They’re not my family! They never were! They just adopted me out of the goodness of their hearts, using me as Thor’s shadow to show off the greatness of their perfect son!”

Bucky was startled by a sudden outburst in his ear, and he lowered his voice in concern.

“Loki?”

“Ha, you don’t know?” Sneered the ghost. “Didn’t they tell you why I ran away when they sent the whole town after me?”

“Right… They certainly wouldn’t say. The great Odinsons can’t afford to be tarnished in this way.”

Loki tried to suppress the outpouring anger, his fists clenched so tightly that if the spirit had not been able to bleed, his fingernails would have hurt the palm of his hand.

“I was adopted.”

Loki squeezes the words through his throat. He was kind of glad he was dead. No one could see the look on his face.

“Odin picked me up abandoned under a bridge 12 years ago in the snow. He took me home, made me think I was his blood son, told me he expected me as much as Thor, and it was all bullshit!

“All these years, how hard did I work, trying to get his attention? I studied day and night, I got first place, I got a scholarship… and all he ever saw was Thor, that arrogant prick.”

Tears welled up in Loki’s eyes, but he chuckled.

“I blame them for being stupid enough to hide the adoption papers behind the frame of the family portrait. If they had locked them in a safe or dug a hole and buried them, I probably never would have found out the truth. I spent the rest of my life thinking that he just happened to prefer Thor…”

Bucky’s eyes were sad.

“Loki, don’t say that. Your parents love you. Foster parents do love their kids.”

“What do you know?” Loki growled. “Who are you to lecture me? Just because you’re adopted? Because of your scars?”

Bucky flinched. He tugged at his collar subconsciously.

Loki snickered. “Come on, you think I haven’t noticed? I’ve seen those marks on you since the first time we met. The Red Skull did it? Domestic violence, isn’t it? Why doesn’t this foster father love his adopted son the way you say he does?”

Bucky’s face went emotionless.

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“Oh, so now you are trying to get out of it?” Loki said tartly. “You live a miserable life, of course you think they love me.”

Bucky’s hands were shaking so hard that he clenched his fists and waited a few seconds before releasing them.

“Loki, you can be a real jerk sometimes.”

“So what, you want to hit me?”

Loki smirked. “Come on! Hit me if you can! Ha-ha --”

3

To the ghost’s sneer, Bucky made it out of the cemetery in the rain.

The sound of rain covered everything. No one noticed the quarrel that took place under the tree, no one noticed the juvenile running away.

In front of Loki Odinson’s grave, the last shovelful of earth was paved, and the funeral guests left one by one, but nothing happened.

The muffled music of the funeral march faded into the rain, and the extra time mourning of the four Odinsons was over. Nothing happened.

It was dark, the rain had stopped, all sounds in the cemetery had faded to nothingness, and the clock on the tower stroke past twelve o’clock, but still nothing had happened.

No reapers, no angels, no one saw the lonely ghost slid to the ground with his back against the tree trunk, issuing silent sobs of grief.

Did heaven really exist?

Was there really an afterlife?

If there was, why didn’t god come and get him?

Even the god of death had abandoned him?

\----------

No, the god of death was just late.

Yes, there is a reaper in this story, because it takes someone to explain to Loki the way ghosts and humans communicate, and involves an ending and a little suspense. I was going to put the first section in Chapter 3, but I forgot it, and I hope you don’t find it too jarring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A kind friend came to proofread my English, I would gradually replace the previous ones with the proofread ones.


	8. Bucky used to be full of hope for life. Loki meets a man who claims to be death.

**1**

**The day he was adopted by Schmidt, Bucky thought he was the luckiest kid in the world.**

**His adopted father was well mannered, his dark hair carefully combed, and he was not only the kind of standard gentleman that you often see in movies, he was also very gentle.**

**“** **Hello, James. I’ll be your father from now on.** **”**

**He spoke softly and bent down tenderly as he held out his hand to Bucky.**

**Bucky wiped his hand against his pant leg before gingerly taking the extended hand.**

**He was so anxious and expectant that he did not dare breathe. He didn’t know if he was good enough to be adopted by such a fine gentleman, and he tried to be as good as he could.**

**As Schmidt was speaking with the director, he tugged at the white shirt the orphanage gave them, trying to flatten it, even though Steve had ironed it three times the night before.**

**Many parents are more compassionate than the virgin mother when they come to adopt, but when they find that they dislike something about the child, their attitude change faster than turning the page of a book. Too many children are returned within days of being adopted, and Bucky didn’t want to be one of them.**

**After all, he really wanted a family.**

**When the director told him he was being adopted, Bucky’s first reaction was -- he must be still asleep.**

**In fact, he still felt as if everything that happened that day had been a dream.**

**2**

**“** **Bucky, I hope everything goes well at your new home.** **”**

**Before he left, Steve hugged him and wished him all the best for the future.**

**Timidly, he asked Schmidt for the address of their new home and handed it to Steve on a slip of paper. The two children made a promise, agreeing not to lose touch even if they were far apart.**

**It’s sad to say goodbye, but the prospect of a new home is enough to wash it all away, especially after finding out that you have a brother.**

**As Schmidt held his hand and walked him toward the car parked in front of the orphanage, a small black head popped out of the car window. It was a boy about 12 or 13 years old, he had a cool buzz cut and a handsome face, the patches under his dark eyes has a deeper color than the rest of his face, making him look punk.**

**“** **Is that him?** **”**

**The boy looked inquisitively at Bucky, and when Schmidt said yes, he suddenly laughed.**

**“** **You look even cuter than your picture.** **”**

**As he spoke, he put his head back in the car. After rummaging around for a while, the door was pushed open and the boy hopped out.**

**“** **Here, it’s for you,** **”** **he said, shoving a soft object into Bucky’s hand. Bucky looked down -- it was a black teddy bear.**

**“** **I’m Bruck Rumlow Schmidt, just call me Rumlow.** **”** **said the dark-haired boy, lifting his chin slightly with some pride. “I’ll be your brother from now on.”**

**Bucky could hardly describe how he felt at the time, and the only thing he knew for sure was that from that day on, he had a** **“** **family** **”,** **a place to call home.**

**Maybe he’ll get his own room? He will have a stack of brand-new notebooks, then he won’t have to write on the back cover of notebooks in order to save paper.**

**On the way home, Schmidt told him a lot of things.**

**For example, Rumlow couldn’t go to the orphanage with him because he wasn’t well. For example, their home was in Marvel town, a beautiful place surrounded by green hills…**

**That conversation reassured Bucky more than ever, he fell asleep before he even got home, and Schmidt carried him into the house.**

**For a long time after that, Bucky regretted not seeing his new home for the first time.**

**At the time, Bucky had hopes for the future.**

**3**

**In his first few weeks in Marvel, Rumlow would take Bucky to down town.**

**Although his time out was always limited due to his ill health --Schmidt required them to be home by seven o’clock-- but that didn’t stop Bucky’s excitement.**

**Rumlow took him to the town’s Fountain Square and showed him where he would go to school after the summer holidays.**

**For the most part, Rumlow said very little and quietly led Bucky around. But every once in a while, he’d pat himself on the chest and talk to Bucky like a big brother.**

**“** **I’m two years older than you. If anyone bullies you in class, you say my name…** **”**

**Bucky loved a brother like that.**

**In his spare time, Bucky would write Steve letters, one after another.**

**Telling him that he was well, and that the apple candy in town is sweet and crisp; asked him if the rabbits on the hill behind the orphanage are all right; if Sherlock has made Watson cry again; asked him did he take other kids to horror movies when he was away…**

**But even as Bucky stared longingly at the mailbox at the door each day, he never received a reply.**

**Maybe Steve was adopted after he left?**

**Maybe Steve lost the note with his address on it?**

**Bucky wondered sadly, but didn’t stop writing.**

**Will they ever see each other again?**

**He had been looking forward to reuniting with Steve.**

**4**

**Bucky noticed that something was wrong about a month after he arrived at the Schmidt’s.**

**It was a sunny afternoon and Rumlow was taking him out as usual when they met Tony walking his dog in the Fountain Square.**

**Tony, who lived in the posh part at the west of town, is a year younger than Bucky, but had already moved up to Rumlow’s grade. Well technically, he’s a prodigy, and a rich one.**

**“** **Jarvis is the best.** **”**

**Tony opened his arms and didn’t hide his pride when he introduced them to his dog.**

**It was a glossy black back, looking as proud as a little king. There was a golden s-shaped pendant on its red collar that claimed it as the property of its young owner, Tony Stark.**

**Tony whistled, and Jarvis sat on his hind legs. Tony clapped his hands, and Jarvis raised his front paws, bowing to Bucky and Rumlow in a dignified manner.**

**Bucky had very little contact with dogs, the director of the orphanage thought it was hard enough to keep them, and there was no love left to spread. Once in a while a stray or two would sneak into the orphanage and get whisked away. The only animals that could be kept were rabbits and geese -- for food.**

**So when he saw a smart dog like this, Bucky’s eyes glaze over, his sudden outpouring curiosity made him befriend Jarvis quickly. He asked Tony questions about Jarvis’s lifestyle, and how Tony had him so well-trained…**

**While he was excited, Rumlow was left in the cold. Children always show their jealousy, and Rumlow was not pleased to see his new brother running around with a dog.**

**Come on, he’s Bucky’s brother. Isn’t he more interesting than a dog?**

**So while Tony held his head high as he introduced Bucky Jarvis to his Gilded Dog’s den, Rumlow reached out and pulled a tuft of hair from the dog’s tail.**

**His intention was only to teach this ignorant dog a lesson, he didn’t really want to compete with it. But the dog didn’t know that, it only knew pain.**

**The black dog bit the back of Rumlow’s hand.**

**In that instant, Rumlow’s face flashed with horror.**

**“** **Are you all right? I’ll call an ambulance right now!** **”**

**Shocked by Rumlow’s expression, Tony tugged at Jarvis. Though as clever as he was, Tony was only ten.**

**Tony fumbled for his phone, only to be held down by Rumlow.**

**“** **I’m fine, Tony, don’t call.** **”**

**The back of the boy’s hand was still bleeding and he knew it would hurt, but Rumlow’s face was so composed that he urged Tony not to tell anyone about it before pulling Bucky away in a hurry.**

**As they disappear around the corner, Rumlow pushes Bucky against the wall.**

**His eyes were cold, and for a moment, Bucky thought it was someone else.**

**“** **Listen, Bucky, I’m only going to say this once. Don’t let Schmidt know.** **”**

**Rumlow said in a commanding voice, not giving Bucky the chance to say no.**

**There was a long silence before Bucky nodded. Rumlow’s face softened almost instantly. He got some gauze to cover the wound and smiled as he took Bucky home.**

**Bucky always thought that when Rumlow wouldn’t tell dad, it was because he was afraid that dad would worry.**

**For a long time, Bucky would occasionally remember that day. Why didn’t he find out then? Rumlow never called Schmidt** **“** **Dad** **”** **when he was alone with him.**

5

Loki didn’t know what time the rain had stopped. He just leaned against the tree trunk, just leaning there, leaning, letting the darkness consume him.

The sun had long since disappeared into the mist, and with that greyish black clouds appeared. Clouds covered the stars and the moon, leaving the ground covered in a huge shadow. The town’s cemetery didn’t have a watchman, and everything was surrounded by dead silence.

Loki couldn’t stop thinking about the pale face of his dead body. He thought of Thor’s empty eyes, Frigga’s bewildered wails, Hela’s angry roars and Odin’s contrite tears.

“Why…”

The ghost murmured.

“Why am I the one who’s dead?

“I didn’t do anything wrong.

“I’m just 13 years old. I was just trying to piss them off.

“I just want them to worry about me. I just want to know… that I’m important to them too…

“That’s not fair!”

Loki growled hysterically, bellowing like an animal just out of spite, he just wanted to scream, as if it would wake him up from this nightmare.

But though his cries hovered over the cemetery, it didn’t even rouse a bird.

Of course, because he’s dead. No one could hear him.

Loki’s shouts gradually gave way to sobs.

“It’s not fair…”

**“** **Life isn’t fair.** **”**

6

In the middle of the night, above the cemetery, a quiet voice suddenly sounded.

“Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth, some people are born in a gutter, some people have happy families, some people have families that are not different from hell… Whether you admit it or not, reincarnation is all about luck, and with luck you win at the moment of your birth, with bad luck you have to make do for the rest of your life.”

Loki’s eyes widened as a figure appeared in the empty cemetery.

The man was dressed in black and red tights and had a strange mask on his face. His voice suggested he was about an adult man, but he seemed a little short. As he spoke, he waded towards Loki, his voice tinged with danger and… a hint of perversion?

“It’s okay to feel unfair, but that’s life.”

Instincts made Loki recoil, but he suddenly realized one thing -- “Can you…”

“Bingo! I can hear you! I can see you too! Isn’t that great? It’s my job, after all.”

The creep curtseyed Loki. Though he was wearing a mask, Loki could see him smiling to himself.

“I’m Wade, reaper number 233, and it’s my job to take you to Heaven. I’m sorry, but the highway to Heaven is blocked, and it’s all because you humans fought some second earth war…”

“World War II, you say? It’s been over for 60 or 70 years…”

“Oh, my excuses have been found out! You are such a clever boy.”

The self-claimed reaper chuckled. “I’ll just have to admit then.” he said. “Alright I was late. I’m sorry, but isn’t that good for you? Just gives you the chance to live the life of a ghost. Ever sneaked a peek at pretty girls in the shower or go to the movies for free? Simply awesome!”

The reaper rambled on about how convenient it was to be a ghost, oblivious to Loki’s darkening expression.

“Why didn’t you come earlier--!”

The sudden outburst made Death jump, he scratched his head, bewildered.

“Why are you so angry?”

“Isn’t it your job to take me?” Loki pointed accusingly to Death, “Why didn’t you take me the day I died? Why did I have to see what happened next? I couldn’t touch anything, I couldn’t do anything, I had to watch those stupid Odinsons looking for me… without Bucky, no one could even hear me!”

“Wait…”

Death interrupted the furious Loki: “You say someone could hear you?”

“How else could they find my body?” Loki responded angrily.

“That Bucky… is he a friend of yours?”

“Of course not!”

“Oh, good.”

At Loki’s answer, the man who gave his name as Wade seemed suddenly relieved.

Loki frowned quizzically, and he had a strange feeling: “What do you mean by that?”

“Men and ghosts are on two planes, so in most cases it is impossible for man to hear the voice of a ghost.” Said Wade briskly.

“If someone could do so, there is only one possibility -- that person has stepped over the line between life and death.”

Death said, narrowing his eyes, his voice suddenly serious.

“In other words, he’s going to die soon.

“That’s why I said it was so nice of him not to be your friend. How sad would you be? How considerate of me!”

“Wade” giggled again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend proofread the first 8 chapters .After the fifth chapter, my machine translation is still the same. If you don't read well, you can wait a while.I'll replace it slowly.


	9. The fiery girl and the gentle black

1

The funeral march was still ringing in Thor’s ears. He didn’t know how he got home. He was functioning on autopilot, doing what was needed to be done.

He got out of the car, changed his shoes, took off his coat, threw his rain-drenched black suit into the washing machine, and sat there watching them go round and round and round.

The Odinson children were required to do their own laundry, which Thor often forgot to do, but Loki reminded him and helped him when he’s in a good mood.

His brother was always attentive and thoughtful, though he sometimes pulled off harmless pranks, like slipping a fart bag into his back pocket and get him laughed at by the class when he sat down.

Thor smiled subconsciously, but only for a moment, then it faded. He buried his head deeply between his legs. He could never see Loki again.

Then Thor heard Frigga shout “Lunch Time!” And he almost thought it was an illusion. Frigga’s voice was limp, as if a few words had drained all her energy.

2

Silence, still silence.

Even though the Odinsons finally sat at the dinner table, talking seemed to be the hardest thing to do.

All could be heard was the sound of knives and forks clattering.

The food in his mouth was so tasteless that Thor didn’t even notice what he was eating. The silence around him was like a tidal wave squeezing his heart, making him suffocate.

It went on until Hela got up and flung her spoon to the floor.

“Clank--”

The sudden burst of noise pounded on Thor’s heart like a drum, and he looked at Hela in dismay. Of course, he saw that everyone was looking at her.

As everyone watched, Hela paused and gnashed her teeth and said, “Have you guys had enough?”

“For who are you putting up this face for!”

“Loki’s dead! He’s never coming back! But life goes on!”

She was screaming so loud, her whole body was shaking, and Thor was almost frightened by her.

“Hela!”

Odin kept a straight face as if trying to suppress his eldest daughter with parental authority, but the response was a fork thrown in his direction.

“Splat--”

The fork landed in Odin’s bowl, spilling tomato soup and staining the snow-white tablecloth a bright red.

“Stop it, you old grouch! Pretending to be the parent now? Where were you when Loki was alive? If you had shown Loki even a little bit of concern you had for your eldest son, it wouldn’t have ended like this!”

Thor saw Frigga raise her hand trying to say something, but quickly Hela turned to her.

“And you too! Who are you crying to? Would Loki feel better if he saw you like this in heaven?”

After yelling, Hela walked into her room without looking back.

The door closed with a “bang”, shutting the teen’s tumultuous mood inside.

No one saw the moment the door closed, the girl who had been angry went limp and sat down on the floor.

She had he back against the bed, her slender hands fell to the floor and felt the cardboard box hidden under the bed.

The girl lowered her head, pulled the cardboard box out, and sadness crept up on her face.

It was a whole box of black hair dye. Half of it was gone, and the other half was brand new.

Hela stared at the box of hair dye for a moment, then stood up abruptly.

She opened the window and emptied the contents of the box.

“Useless! All of them, useless now…”

The teen howled. Beneath her seething rage was unending sorrow.

She won’t have to dye her blond hair black anymore.

3

People say you have to say goodbye three times in your life.

Once for death, once for a funeral, and once for being forgotten.

Steve was lying in bed, looking out the window at the pale moonlight, when he remembered Loki’s pale face at the funeral.

That must have been hard on Thor, Steve thought. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like for Bucky to be lying there.

People always come to the point of loss before they know how to cherish.

Steve suddenly wanted to look at Bucky, just once, in his deep green eyes, and ask him why he wasn’t talking to him? If he did something wrong, could he apologize?

“Pat--”

Steve’s thoughts were disturbed by a crash. The night was so quiet that the slightest sound was jarring. He blinked for a moment, then heard a second sound.

“Pat--”

That’s the sound of pebbles hitting the glass.

Steve sat up feeling strange, he pushed open the window and looked down. Outside, in the street, stood a familiar figure-- it was Thor.

The blond boy waved and smiled apologetically.

“I’m sorry to wake you, Steve, but I… I couldn’t sleep.”

Steve smiled and he shrugged. “It’s okay. I wasn’t sleeping anyway.” he said nonchalantly.

A midnight explore is just the thing for boys. A few minutes later, Steve had changed his clothes and showed up at his friend’s side.

They wandered aimlessly through the town, chasing rabbits, catching fireflies, looking up at the stars for the Lyra.

A few hours later, the boys were panting against a cypress tree, laughing. Thor hadn’t laughed like this ever since Loki’s disappearance. He lets off some steam and finally settles down to look at Steve.

“Hey, Steve.”

“Hmm?”

“At first light, I’ll go with you to find Bucky, and whatever misunderstanding there is between you, we’ll clear them out.”

Steve’s eyes widened, looking at Thor in disbelief.

The Odinson boy nodded, his eyes serious.

“I promised you, didn’t I? I’ve lost Loki. I won’t let you lose Bucky too.”

\----------

This chapter is so serious, I don’t even have the energy to be funny.

1⃣️

The fart bag is a prank toy that makes an embarrassing sound when it is sat on.

2⃣️

I really enjoyed writing about the Odinson family’s reaction to Loki’s death.

3⃣️

In this story, Hela’s black hair is dyed. She was originally blonde, but she was afraid Loki would be suspicious when seeing that he was the only one in the family with black hair, so she has been dyeing her hair since Loki could remember.

I like this setting, I simply love the gentleness of the fiery girl, although it may not be healthy to dye your hair all the time.

4⃣️

About that saying “A man will die three times in his life”, I forget where I read it. Suddenly I remembered the bit in the One Piece, about Richoba, where the quack said something like, “When does a man truly die? When he eats a poisonous mushroom? When he is stabbed? No, it is when he is forgotten.”

But don’t worry, Loki won’t be forgotten in this story.

5⃣️

I wanted to change the name of the story to “The sound of dying”, but it didn’t seem right.


	10. The truth in the shadows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter might be a little scary and there might be some not-so-good implements.

1

Clouds covered the stars and the moon. The growing darkness made the cemetery seem smaller and smaller. The wind was howling through the trees, and the air was filled with a silent murmur.

As the golden leaves passed through the ghost’s transparent body, Loki took a deep breath and said, “…What did you say?”

The man in the black-and-red mask shrugged. “I didn’t know you were deaf at such a young age. I said-- only those who are near death can hear ghosts!”

“Bucky’s dying? Is he terribly sick or something?” Loki asked incredulously. “Come on, he’s as strong as a bull.”

“No, No, No--” the man wagged a finger, and his eyes narrowed slightly under his mask, “It has nothing to do with health. When a man loses hope for life, how close is he to death? When you spoke to him in the cabin, he was within a whisker of stepping into the river of the dead.”

Loki snorted, “Are you playing games with me? I can’t understand these mysterious lies.”

“Oh? I thought you’d understand,” the man laughed in a dramatic way. “You’re a smart kid, you know what he’s been through the minute you saw the scars and bruises on him, didn’t you?”

Loki’s heart thumped. Of course he saw the bruises and scars on Bucky’s body and he knew what the other boy was going through, but he just ignored it. Because he’s got his hands full, he’s the one who’s dead, and he deserved to be first on the list because he’s going through worse, right?

But… can “misery” really be compared?

The man sighed. “No offense, but Bucky’s so-called father-- that red skull-- is a total lunatic.”

“Bucky had a brother who was held captive in a dark basement because the red skull loved him so much, he couldn’t bear to be away from him, he couldn’t bear him to be hurt in any way… but how long can a bird live with its wings chained up?”

Death said as he gazed into the distance. His lonely black silhouette stood out against the dark forest. For some reason, Loki felt a note of self-mockery in his voice.

“The boy was dead after all, and his death crushed the Red Skull. How could he accept that? Of course he couldn’t! Losing a second lover after his wife died…”

The man turned, his face twisting into a broken smile under his mask.

“And so the Red Skull went mad, madder than a hatter, mad enough… to get a replacement of the boy to stay with him.”

Loki’s eyes widened. Something felt wrong with the man’s words. But why?

“He dressed him in his clothes; he called him by his name; he took him into the cold dark basement and treated him like he treated the other kid!”

Death suddenly roared, eyes flashing madly, his slender arms waving in the night air, dancing with the shadows on the grass.

Every inch of Loki’s skin was taut, and he was so still he almost forgot to breathe.

“He wanted his bird so badly! His song and his taste! He missed all that he had loved to possess…”

“Who wouldn’t want to run away from such a madman?”

The man stopped short and looked at Loki with pitying eyes.

“There are many ways to escape. which do you think… Bucky would choose?”

**2**

**The week after that was calm.**

**So calm that Bucky almost forgot about it. It’s a small thing. A person getting bitten by a dog is almost as common as a person falling down. Remember to get a rabies shot within 24 hours and there would be no difference from a fall.**

**Of course Rumlow snuck off to get his shots. Tony paid for them, and despite he repeatedly told them that Javis was definitely free of rabies, he had the money to spare, so he bought the shots anyway.**

**This stupid thing was supposed to end this way.**

**It should have.**

**A month later, the wound on the back of Rumlow’s hand was healed, and Bucky had long since forgotten the cold look in his brother’s eyes when he ordered him. That was when things started happening.**

**Jarvis was missing.**

**3**

**On a perfectly ordinary morning, Tony had a plate of custom-made dog food in his hand and called Jarvis’ name in front of the gilded dog loft, but there was no response.**

**The kennel was empty. The peg on which the dog was tied was still nailed to the lawn, but the chain had gone.**

**The loss of a dog is a common occurrence in big cities. For there are dog-mongers, bad men and two-footed imbeciles who keep dogs without ties. A loud horn could scare a dog away, and with all the traffic, it’s not uncommon to lose a dog.**

**But this was Marvel town. As previously mentioned, it’s a remote town. There were very few people, almost everyone knew each other, and almost everyone knew each other’s dogs.**

**Especially a dog like Jarvis with a gold chain around his neck, that’s the brightest star in the pack. Anyone who sees it will be the first to send it back, because you know, the Starks pay well.**

**But Jarvis still went missing, and no one saw where it went, which was odd.**

**Tony was close to tears. Jarvis wasn’t just a pet to him. Jarvis was a family member who grew up with him. To this end, he did not hesitate to use his “super cash powers” and had almost every person in town to help him look.**

**Bucky wanted to help, because he liked Jarvis, and he wanted to invite his brother, but Schmidt said no because Rumlow wasn’t feeling well.**

**His foster father smiled and waved at him from the porch, wishing them a speedy recovery of Jarvis, and told him sweetly that it would be all right to come back a bit late.**

**The dog-hunting parade traversed every street, opened every trash can, explored every corner… Confidence turned into exhaustion then depression. Jarvis just vanished into thin air, without leaving so much as a paw print.**

**By the time it got dark, people were heading home, some regretting that they hadn’t found the dog, some regretting that the reward for finding the dog had been lost, and Bucky… braced himself and comforted the sad Tony, then he headed home alone.**

**He knocked on the door and heard no sound. He called out the names of his brother and foster father, and no reply came.**

**So he had to bend down, get a spare key from under the flower pot beside the door, and inserted it into the lock hole with a click.**

**4**

**There were no lights on, and silence dominated the room. Bucky’s slippers made a loud noise on the floor.**

**Confused and nervous, he called out the names of his family again, but there was still no response.**

**Bucky walked through the living room, through the kitchen, through the study, and finally… stopped in front of his foster father’s bedroom door.**

**He heard a tiny, imperceptible sob.**

**So he went in and found that the expensive woolen carpet, which had always been laid flat, had been removed.**

**Below was a trapdoor he had never seen before, opening skywards with yellow lights bobbing beneath, as if welcoming him.**

**It was a dark, narrow walkway that winded its way down. The wooden steps creaked under the pressure, and the air smelled musty. Bucky wrinkled his nose uncomfortably.**

**He couldn’t understand why such a walkway existed in his house. Where did it go to? What’s at the end?**

**Until his feet hit the solid ground, a wide rectangular space appeared in front of him. An incandescent bulb hung from the ceiling, and the wattage was obviously not enough, because only a patch in the middle of the room was illuminated by dim light.**

**There was a chair on which Rumlow sat, his head hanging down, his shoulders trembling with sobs. A soft ribbon tied him to the back of the chair, locking his hands and his freedom.**

**“… Rumlow?” Bucky’s eyes widened as he stood stiffly in front of something beyond his comprehension until a hard object hit him on the back of the head.**

**The boy fell forward and smashed into a pile of wooden boxes in the corner. The contents of the boxes were thrown to the ground, and a pile of dusty envelopes lay scattered about him.**

**Half of the envelopes looked eerily familiar. Bucky had carefully sealed them with anticipation. The other half were thick and large, with the same name written in the sender’s box -- Steve.**

**Why were these letters here?**

**Shock crept onto Bucky’s face, but the sharp pain in his head and the threat behind him made him unable to think.**

**He turned with difficulty and saw a man standing in the shadow of the room, carrying a crowbar stained with his blood.**

**Fear took hold of Bucky’s body, and he shivered as he backed into the corner.**

**His hand lay on the earth, which seemed excessively damp and… sticky?**

**Bucky felt a cool metal object half buried in the dirt, and he grabbed it with his hands.**

**In the dim light overhead, Bucky recognized it as a pendent.**

**A golden s-shaped pendant.**

**Jarvis’ pendant.**

**Bucky suddenly realized what the slimy stuff was, and the strong smell of rust filled his nostrils. The mud in the basement was damp because it was recently renovated, because… There’s something buried under it.**

**Bucky wanted to scream.**

**And now the figure that was closing in on him came into the light at last.**

**The figure sighed, as if in deep regret.**

**“James, you shouldn’t have come here.”**

**His adoptive father opened his mouth and uttered a whisper of the devil.**

**\----------**

0⃣️We’re getting to the climax! The end isn’t far!

2⃣️This chapter is very important in the whole story and it gave me a headache when I wrote it. I tried to make it seem terrifying but it didn’t come out as I expected.


	11. The replacement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 【Warning】  
> There are plenty of bad hints and violence in this chapter, so please skip it if you can’t bare it. Hashtag teens and up!

1

Blood oozed out, a bright scarlet like his skin. He gazed at the stiffening carcass as he calmly wiped the blood from his pocketknife.

Dig a hole, fill in soil, and finally scatter some leaves… he was skilled and no one would notice what was under the soil after he left.

He didn’t want to kill it, the killing itself wasn’t a pleasure, the carcass was difficult to get rid of and his knife would get dirty, but he loved a revenge.

He carefully tied a bow on the gift box with a look of satisfaction on his face.

They shouldn’t have messed with him.

2

He hated kids.

They are stupid, noisy, and under their innocent appearance a cruel soul is hidden. They cornered him in an alley near the school, shoved him, tore up his exercise books and threw caterpillars and dirt at him… just because he was different from them.

What kind of juvenile bullying is that? Schmidt thought that if he was the one to do it, he could do much better.

“Red skull! You ugly monster! Get out of our class!”

He was born with red skin and no hair. It’s a genetic defect. Couldn’t these morons understand that?

“Look at him, how dare he walk in the street with a face like this?”

The boys shouted, laughed. They were as spiteful as the adults. Their fists, though small, were powerful, and their vicious words could hurt easily.

Schmidt huddled into a ball, carefully protecting his head. He was always cowering, patiently waiting for the end of the hitting. He is waiting today, but for something else…

A blond boy appeared at the end of the alley, holding a delicate gift box. A sky-blue ribbon was wounded upon it, ending in a beautiful bow at the top of the box.

“Andy? What took you so long today?” Someone in the crowd asked.

The boy named Andy shook the box in his hand. He looked puzzled but very pleased.

“Someone put this in my locker.”

The boys stopped what they were doing, and some even laughed.

“… It’s not a love note, is it?”

“A gift from a girl who adores you?”

“It must be that fat girl. She’s always peeking at you in gym class!”

Gossip always arouses the most curiosity. The flock of boys rushed over, concentrating on the box. No one noticed the sneer that appeared at the corners of Schmidt’s mouth.

As the boys urged on, the sky-blue ribbon was pulled down, the delicate box cover was lifted up, revealing what was inside.

“… What’s that smell?”

After a brief silence, the box was thrown away, and Andy bent over with his hands on his knees and vomited.

A black ball fell out of the box and rolled away, leaving a dark red trail on the concrete floor. It was wet, bloody, and a little warm.

Two dull green eyes came into the boys’ sight. It was the head of a cat.

A child widened his eyes. “Is that… Black? That’s Andy’s black cat!”

They scrambled out of the alley screaming. Even Andy, who had just been puking, ran.

Silence was restored in the ally. Black’s head lay alone on the concrete ground, in stark contrast with the sky-blue ornate gift box nearby.

In the corner beside the trash can, the forgotten red skinned boy staggered to his feet. He patted the dust on his knees, slowly pulled out a pack of wet wipes and starts cleaning his hands.

With a smile on his lips.

3

He became a scientist, doing medical research. Medicine is interesting. It teaches you how to save lives, but at the same time quietly teaches you the best way to kill them.

He liked his job, in which brains mattered more than looks. Plus, his career led him to her.

She was a beautiful woman, but in Schmidt’s eyes, the beauty of her skin was never worth anything. What really fascinated him was her pure, unblemished soul.

“I read your papers. They’re amazing! How did you come up with that?”

She had long black hair that draped down like a waterfall, her emerald green eyes glittered brighter than gems. Her long lashes hung low like the morning grass on the edge of a lake. She looked at him with nothing but pure admiration.

He liked her eyes, her voice and the corners of her eyes when she smiled. If he must have a person to accompany him in life, he wanted it to be her, and can only be her.

They were meant to be.

The wedding took place in early summer, with the faint scent of flowers in the air. They exchanged rings and made promises on a green lawn. That day brightened his life.

The next year, they had a baby and named him Bruck, middle name Rumlow. They hugged and kissed each other and vowed to watch over the child as he grew up.

The vow didn’t last long.

4

On a quiet morning, she collapsed in the kitchen. She was terribly sick.

He had an M.D., his research had saved countless lives, he’s published in prestigious journals… and he still couldn’t save his wife.

He could only stay by her side and watch her haggard face. Watching her go from being alive to dying then being cold.

Why?

Why is life so fragile?

Why… doesn’t eternity exist in this world.

He thought he would despair and even beg to die, until a small hand caught his.

He looked down and saw their son, little Rumlow, whom they had sworn to protect together.

They were practically cut from the same cloth. Their eyes were so similar… whenever he looked at Rumlow, it reminded him of her.

If eternity doesn’t exist in this world, why couldn’t he create it himself? Morbid emotions took root in his heart.

He had lost a lover, but who says... He couldn’t have another?

5

Rumlow resembled her in so many ways under his training. That was good. The parts in him that didn’t resemble her also fascinated him.

The only reason was that it was his son, the result of his and her love, the only one in the world. How wonderful was that!

He fed him, bathed him, taught him how to dissect a frog…they appeared to be the perfect father and son; but deep in his dark heart, he thought they could be lovers.

As Rumlow grew, so did his love. He found himself jealous of anyone who tried to approach Rumlow, his friendly teachers, his friends, even the ice cream vendor who chatted with him on the street.

He was afraid they would take him away. He was afraid he would lose his son, just as he had lost his wife.

He couldn’t lose him. He couldn’t.

Gradually, he could not even bear the separation during school. Every time Rumlow stepped onto the bus, he would go into a state of agony. He missed his son all the time. He missed his and her perfect creation.

By the strength of his profession, he made a false case, claiming Rumlow was ill and had to take a medical leave of absence. He was a decent, successful man, and the headmaster didn’t suspect him.

He quit his job in the city and moved with Rumlow to a small town called Marvel. It’s pretty remote, and the most common form of transportation is on foot.

It was hard for Rumlow to escape his grip, which made him feel at ease, and he even agreed to let Rumlow go to school on some days.

He’d give him anything if Rumlow wouldn’t leave him.

6

Rumlow wanted a playmate.

He understood that young children were always afraid of being lonely. But he didn’t like the children in town at all. They were stupid and noisy, which reminded him of the owner of the black cat which he had killed as a child. To play with them would be to defile his perfect creation.

But he couldn’t resist Rumlow’s disappointment.

So, after careful selection, he adopted a child. A black-haired, green-eyed child just like her.

The way that kid wiped his hands on his pant leg with fear was ridiculous. Shaking his hand made him sick, but he was always good at masking.

A thoughtful stoop and a conciliatory smile were enough to win the child’s trust. What a stupid creature.

It’s all about keeping Rumlow happy, think of it as a pet, he mused.

But he was obviously careless.

7

James’ arrival was like a trigger that threw off the balance he had worked so hard to maintain.

Rumlow was spending less and less time at home, laughing less and less with him. He was always dragging James around, and he even started calling the kid by his nickname “Bucky”.

It made him jealous and brought fear into his heart. Humans are greedy creatures and can be easily satisfied only when ignorant. Once tasted the sweet taste of freedom, they will desire more.

When he noticed this, he tried to stop it, for example, telling them that Rumlow’s conditions had worsened and that he couldn’t bear the burden of prolonged outdoor activity. At first, it worked well, and the way James nodded guiltily even made him feel pleased. But little by little, he noticed that Rumlow was beginning to suspect.

“Father, will outdoor activities really affect my health? I think I’m all right now. There’s nothing wrong with me…”

“Father, what exactly is wrong with me? What are these medicines for?”

“Father…”

Every time Rumlow asked a question, he put on his usual mask of tenderness. He was smart enough to fake it, but he was too arrogant to realize that Rumlow was faking it too.

The white pills he had been feeding him started showing up in the sewers; more than once he found Rumlow sneaking out during curfew for a breath of fresh air; even though he strictly forbade Rumlow from playing with the other children in town, he could still find them laughing together…

And James, that low, dirty little pet, who’s always with his Rumlow. Is he trying to take him away?

Things were getting worse. They were getting out of his control.

But what made him angrier still, was that he found out Rumlow was injured.

8

“What is this?”

By the time he found the wound, it had begun to scab.

“… Nothing.”

Rumlow’s evasive looks made him angry, and it was clear that he had no intention of telling him. Did he think his body only belong to himself?

Anger overcame Schmidt, who, for the first time, pulled Rumlow’s hand violently. Medical knowledge instantly determined that it was a canine bite.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

His voice was frightfully cold, and he noticed that Rumlow was beginning to shiver, which made him faintly excited.

“… There is no need to tell you, I have been vaccinated against rabies.”

How could he say it so casually? What if it left a scar? How could her perfect replica bare a scar? Rumlow’s carelessness made him angry.

But what made him even angrier was James, the little pet he had adopted. He had corrupted Rumlow, without him… Rumlow would never had been hurt under his close protection.

He was determined to make James suffer, but before that, he had one more thing to do.

Who has a dog in town?

9

He missed the feeling of blood on his hands after so many years.

He dismembered it in the basement, sliced open its skin, sawed apart its bones, and the strong smell of rust came pouring out… so absorbed was he in his work that he didn’t notice the footsteps behind him, until a short shriek brought him to reality.

He looked back and saw Rumlow sitting on the ground. His dearest son was trembling as he covered his mouth.

“Oh, my dear Rumlow, don’t be afraid,” he said, smiling as he always did, his red skin tinted with blood. “This beast will never hurt you again.”

His son started screaming.

Trouble came.

Despite his repeated claims that dismembering a dog was no different than dissecting a frog, Rumlow continued to scream and had to be sedated, then he tied his son to a chair with the softest ribbon he could find.

As he buried the dog, he thought about how he would persuade Rumlow. Then he remembered that Rumlow had not yet eaten, so he hurried upstairs to get food. He was so busy that a professional like him forgot to close the trap door to the basement.

10

When James came down, he was a little excited to be honest. He wanted to take him down a long time ago. He hated him for stealing Rumlow’s attention, and his jealousy made him want to tear him apart.

So he clubbed his adopted son in the back of the head.

The fear on the boy’s face excited him. He picked up the crowbar, tried to hit him again and destroy him completely, but then he heard Rumlow scream.

“No -- dad… Don’t…”

Rumlow was calling his name in an almost imploring voice. He looked at the sudden fear in his son’s face and realized that this was a great opportunity.

Fear is the best teacher. If he destroyed James in front of Rumlow as punishment and told him what a fool he was to run away from his control... maybe Rumlow would realize his mistakes? He would stay by his side forever?

Schmidt gripped the crowbar in his hand and thought he was a genius. Ignoring his son’s pleas, he turned decisively to James, ready to put an end to his adopted son’s life.

The urge to kill made his blood boil, and he looked at the fear on James’ face with amusement, ignoring Rumlow’s cries and screams.

Then, just as he swung the crowbar, Rumlow’s cries stopped.

Then came a dull thud as a head hit the back of a chair.

He noticed that James was turning in the direction of Rumlow. There was a look of shock on his adopted son’s face, then it turned to fear.

“Rumlow -- what’s the matter with you!”

He turned his head, and the scene before him coincided with the one he remembered.

No, that’s not possible.

It couldn’t be like that.

His son had fainted.

11

The same illness, the same helplessness, death took Rumlow’s life as he took his wife’s.

He took his son’s cold hand and wailed like a wild animal.

Why is God so unfair? To take away his lover one after the other?

Why?

Why!

Desperate to find someone to hate, he thought of James’ face in a flash.

He’s responsible for Rumlow’s death.

It was the third day after Rumlow collapsed, and since then he had kept the basement door locked and devoted himself to his beloved son.

There were fingernail scratches on the inside of the trap door, which gave him a sense of pleasure, and when he walked into the basement with the crowbar, he almost wondered if James was still alive.

The darkness and the hunger were enough to break any strong adult, and James was a child.

he became excited immediately when he saw the frail dark-haired boy with his chest still heaving and his green eyes brimming with fear.

He could still kill him himself.

But…

Should he really kill him?

He suddenly remembered the reason he had chosen to adopt James.

He looked again at those green eyes that resembled his wife’s and his black hair that resembled Rumlow’s, and he hesitated suddenly.

… Maybe this was an opportunity?

He had lost two lovers, but who says… He couldn’t have a third?

Schmidt licked his lips. His evil heart beat violently.

He had never crossed the line with Rumlow, who was her purest and perfect replica, his angel, and he did not even dare to think of blemishing him.

James, on the other hand, could be the perfect stand-in.

Couldn’t he?

He could do whatever he wanted to him.

12

Predawn was quiet in Marvel. The wind stirred the branches, turning their shadows into quivering black fingers. It’s the time when everything goes to sleep, and it’s supposed to be quiet, but only for the living.

A ghost was racing down the dark street.

Loki didn’t run as fast even in the 100-meter race. If he could still cry, he would certainly have tears strewn across his face.

Guilt and remorse almost broke him.

Why didn’t he think of it before?

A teenage boy running into the woods in the rain with a knife in his hand, was he only looking for a place to lick his wounds?

Bucky disliked himself. Hated himself even. He didn’t think he deserved to be cared for…

He was curious about the world after death, and he yearned for Heaven…

What did it all mean?

He wanted to die.

The reason Loki met him that stormy night was because Bucky wanted to suicide.

Out of the town, in the middle of nowhere, was where Bucky had chosen to die.

He could have died that night… if Loki hadn’t talked to him.

But he heard Loki’s voice.

But he wanted to help Loki.

He was so kind that his pity for the ghost made him put down the knife that he might have used for cutting his own throat.

And the other day, they were supposed to meet at the intersection to go to the police, but Bucky was late.

Why was he late?

He changed into his school uniform… did he pull at the cuffs?

Because the uniforms were pants and long-sleeved shirts.

“That bastard.”

What would Red Skull do if he found out that Bucky tried to kill himself?

Loki choked with sobs. He had never hated himself so much for not being strong enough. He just wanted to run faster, faster, so he could save Bucky.

13

There was a huge mildew stain on the ceiling of Schmidt’s basement. Every time he saw it, Bucky wanted to die.

Schmidt allowed him to cry, but he would rather bite his lips than cry. He just wanted to escape, to escape from this sordid world.

He remembered the way Steve looked at him, and according to Loki, “Relationships are two-sided. If he doesn’t think you’re worth it, he’d leave”.

Bucky closed his eyes and felt tears roll past his ear.

Yeah, the only reason Steve didn’t leave him was because he didn’t know him. If he knew what was going on in that basement, would he still think he was worth it?

Schmidt lit a cigarette and puffed in the dim light, seemingly lost in thought as he watched Bucky quietly tidy up.

“Mrs. Odinson said you found her little boy’s body, James.”

Bucky’s shoulder froze. It was a statement, but that’s not the point. The point is -- he called him “James”.

In private, Schmidt rarely called him by his real name. He called him “Rumlow” because he was his brother’s replacement, he was allowed to live only to atone for his sins.

Schmidt only calls him by his real name in one situation -- when he was angry, and that often signaled oncoming pain.

Bucky was trembling as he turned. “I can explain --!”

A fist landed in his face, turning what he had not said into a cry of pain.

“What were you doing in the mountains? Were you trying to escape?”

Schmidt’s red face contorted, he kicked Bucky’s body like a punching bag.

“You killed Rumlow! If it wasn’t for adopting you, Rumlow wouldn’t have died! It’s all because of you! You have to atone for your sins! How dare you run away?”

Bucky hunched over and did his best to cover his head, knowing that once Schmidt got violent, it would be too late to beg. The only thing he could do was to wait quietly till it all ended.

It had to end, right?

His anger had to wear off.

Maybe it was because of Bucky’s closed eyes, or maybe he was just too tired to notice his adoptive father’s behavior was crazier than usual.

Schmidt hated leaving, his wife and child had left him one after another. How could he bear the thought of his little pet who was supposed to be obedient running away from him?

He was so blinded by his anger that he unconsciously picked up the glass ashtray on the table.

He never thought about consequences when he was angry. He just threw it down hard, but the second before it landed on Bucky’s head, the ashtray exploded in his hand without warning.

\----------

The part about Bucky looking at the ceiling has some really bad implications, because you have to lie down to see the ceiling, but why would Bucky lie down? I wrote it vaguely but you can guess what happened. The difference is whether the red skull deserved to die or must die. 

Besides, I’ve actually been hesitant whether to spend half a chapter on the Red Skull or not, because I guess no one wants to see it. it’s just a re-creation story, and who would want to see the villain’s mental journey? But I wanted to write it so I did, and I’m sorry if it got boring for you.

Gibberish from the beta: look I’m sorry it took so long but it is just SO HARD to translate this chapter. Chinese and English are two very different languages and when you translate a work, it feels different from the original. This happens all the time. Just look at Chinese poems translated into English and you’ll get what I mean. It just… didn’t feel right. And besides I’m just an amateur and AI(artificial imbecile) translation is literally killing me… so when you read this and think that something feels off, it’s all my fault. I’ll work harder in the chapters that follow.


	12. Real families

1

No hiding, no crying, no screaming or begging for mercy.

Bucky just curled himself up in the corner of the cellar, not moving, letting the punches land on his body.

The beating, the cursing… The polite Mr. Schmidt had completely transformed, his eyes red, his fists hitting harder and harder, his face looking crazier and crazier, as if he would never stop.

Why not run?

Why not fight back?

Why did Bucky just… cover his head and take it all in silence?

The ghost stood on the cellar steps, staring blankly at the scene before him. His hair stood on end from hearing the muffled thuds of fists hitting a body.

And then he realized, Bucky wasn’t doing nothing. He was just waiting, waiting for it to be over.

Either the Red Skull stops, or he dies…

No.

This isn’t right.

“Bucky! What are you doing? Fight back--” the ghost shouted with all his might.

2

Loki had never seen violence being conflicted against another person. But he knew that if he was wronged, he should fight back, as the Odinsons had taught him.

The first time he was bullied, he tried to hide it and lick his wounds in the dark. Unfortunately, he had a family of Sherlock Holmes.

Frigga sensed the problem then Thor solved it with his fist. Hela threatened the “problem” in front of the entire school and made him cry.

His family taught him the importance of “asking for help and fighting back”. Frigga even wept as she apologized and blamed herself for not stopping him from being hurt.

Loki hated it when his family worried about him. From that day on, he vowed that he would never let anyone bully him again. From that day on, he began to hate all injustice and bullying.

“Fight back!” Loki shouted at the top of his lungs, his cries reverberating through the cellar. But that did nothing to stop the Red Skull’s kicks.

“How dare you run away!”

The Red Skull kicked Bucky in the stomach, sending the boy’s back into the wall.

“Where do you think you’re going? No one’s going to take you in, a wretch like you! You don’t even have any friends, do you?”

“Nonsense! I am his friend!”

Loki balled up his fists and shouted. He ran between them, waving his transparent arms in a vain attempt to pull the Red Skull away from Bucky.

“You’re not looking for the blond kid, are you? His name is Steve, isn’t it? Would he still write to you if he knew you’d killed your own brother?” The Red Skull bellowed, his kicks getting harder and harder.

“He will hate you, they will all hate you! I am the only one who would accept you, how dare you run away from me? I am all you have!”

Loki’s tears were streaming down his face.

“Bucky, don’t believe him! He’s crazy! Steve would never hate you!”

The Red Skull kicked Bucky on the shoulder.

“I took you out of the orphanage, I fed you, clothed you, I’m your family! James, how can you be ungrateful?”

“You are not his family!” The ghost snapped back. “Real families are not what you are! Real families…”

“Real families…” Loki thought of Frigga’s forced smile, the vacant look in Thor’s eyes, Hela’s angry questioning, and even Odin’s trembling shoulders as the man wept.

Families share their joys and sorrows, they will feel down for your sadness, feel glad for your happiness. They should be a gentle harbor, not a bloody knife.

Loki glared at the Red Skull. “A real family won’t say that! Family means understanding and tolerating, not cursing and beating! Bucky, Red Skull is not your family, he’s just a maniac control freak!”

As if to prove the ghost’s words, the furious Red Skull grabbed the glass ashtray from the tabletop and hurled it at Bucky’s head.

“You must never leave me--”

Time seemed to slow down at that moment. The transparent ashtray slowly descended before the transparent ghost’s eyes. Schmidt’s eyes were red, a vein in his forehead was bulging. He looked completely out of control.

He’s not going to stop. Bucky will die.

Fear surged in the ghost’s heart. He opened his mouth wide and stretched out his hand to stop it, but the ashtray was bound to pass through his hand. Unless…

Loki lifted his arm subconsciously, pointing his palm in the direction of the ashtray.

3

“I call it the three laws of ghosts.” Basking in the pale moonlight, the man who claimed to be death said a-matter-of-factly.

“I’m sure, I’m positive, I’m absolutely certain you’re mimicking Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of robotics,” Loki hmphed.

“Well,” the man spread his hand reluctantly, “I admit I made up a badass name on purpose. Anyway, the three laws between ghosts and people. This is very important, listen up.

“First of all, it’s impossible for a normal person to hear a ghost unless he’s near death.” the man said, and shrugged. “You’ve experienced that yourself.”

“Second, it is impossible for an ordinary person to see a ghost unless he is on the brink of death.”

The Reaper lowered his voice. “Here ‘on the brink of’ and ‘near’ are synonyms, but the former means closer to death than the latter. The point is a person can only see ghosts when he’s gonna die.”

“Third, and most important to you,” the voice behind the mask grew serious.

“A ghost can never touch matter in the real world unless… he is willing to burn his soul.”

Loki narrowed his eyes and looked incredulous. “Oh, so the soul is combustible.”

“You’re no fun, it’s just a figure of speech.” the man wagged a finger, “In short, the soul is a kind of energy, energy can be converted, if you convert it into mechanical energy you can move things; if you convert it into heat you can conjure ghost flames…”

“But it also follows the law of energy conservation, which means -- with each conservation, the soul loses energy, and if you use too much…”

The Reaper narrowed his eyes, the lips under his mask curved into an eerie smile.

“Your soul will cease to exist.”

4

“The power of the soul is the power of the imagination,” death’s husky voice echoed in Loki’s ear.

He could see the ashtray whooshing through the air, about to smash Bucky’s head in.

Break.

Loki stared wide-eyed at the falling ashtray with his thin eyebrows furrowed.

Break.

Break! Now!

The ghost felt as if strength had been sucked out of him, a stream of heat rushed from his heart to his palm, burning like a blazing fire, then a blinding flash -- the ashtray exploded in the Red Skull’s hand with a “bam”.

5

The dark shadows of the trees swayed in the wind, filling the night of Marvel town with a sense of spookiness. Two blond heads emerged from the woods and headed north, pausing in front of a villa at the end of the road.

The two looked in. The windows were dark.

“Are you sure, Thor?” One of the boys asked. “It’s three o’clock in the morning. No one visits their neighbors at this hour.”

“I know.” Thor nodded. “But we can wait at the door, so Bucky can see you when he opens his door in the morning. Makes your apology seem more sincere, doesn’t it?”

“Shh -- Keep your voice down! What if you woke Bucky up? He hates getting up, he would be so angry.”

“You’re the one who’s louder…”

The two boys were so busy arguing that no one noticed the noise of electric currents in the house. A few minutes later, heavy footsteps sounded inside the house. Then the door behind them opened with a thud.

6

Hauntings can cause a short circuit that causes the lights to go out. That often happen in movies. Loki thought it was all a lie, but when he turned into a ghost and detonated the ashtray in the Red Skull’s hand, he realized that the Schmidts’ electricity meter had indeed tripped.

The cellar went pitch dark.

Ghosts are energy, and a sudden burst of energy can of course, cause a circuit to overload. Loki thought of what death said and realized that there’s a scientific basis for superstition. How weird.

But he didn’t have time to think. He had more important things to do. After the Red Skull angrily ascended the stairs in the dark, clutching his bloody hands, they finally had some time.

“It’s all right. The Red Skull is gone.” Loki was surprised to find that he could see everything in the dark, perhaps because of the special constitutions of ghosts?

“I know you’re in pain, but you have to get up. You have to find a way out of here before the Red Skull comes back.”

“…Bucky?” Loki watched anxiously as the boy crouched on the floor.

Moments later, Bucky finally managed to raise his head, face up. Blood and clots streamed out of his nose. A heartbreaking peacefulness was in his eyes.

“You don’t have to worry about me… Just let me die.”

7

Candlelight flickered in the darkness. Steve and Thor sat side by side on the sofa at the Schmidts’ house, clutching their knees anxiously.

“Sorry, the fuse burned out, so the lights aren’t working at the moment.” Schmidt placed two cups of hot tea on the table and nodded to the boys sitting across from him.

“It is we who should apologize for disturbing you at this time of day,” Steve looked embarrassed. “Yes, we were going to come back after daybreak.” Thor added.

“Never mind,” Schmidt smiled mildly. “I was just on my way to the garden to get the repair kit when I ran into you. Are You… looking for James?”

Steve nodded eagerly.

Schmidt paused in surprise.

“That’s very kind of you.”

“… Kind?” Steve’s eyebrows furrowed.

Schmidt nodded, as if what he said was right and proper. “Aren’t you kind to be around that kid? He’s so dark and withdrawn, he can’t do anything right, a loser…”

“Bucky’s not a loser!”

Thor stared in shock at his friend. Steve had risen. He glared at Schmid, his hands clenched into fists.

“You are his father. How could you say such a thing?”

“Foster father,” corrected Schmidt, squinting at Steve as though seeing the boy for the first time.

“Because it’s the truth, what’s wrong with telling the truth?” Schmidt shrugged, “I was kind enough to adopt that lowly brat, but he was ungrateful, always thinking about running away, and his grades were so bad… aren’t I allowed something about that?”

“Bucky’s not like that!” Steve’s lips quivered with anger. “He’s the brightest, kindest guy I’ve ever met. He’s brave, he’s funny, he reaches out to the weak. Please… please don’t insult him!”

Disgust flashed through Schmidt’s eyes. “No amount of defending can change the fact that he is a dirty, lowly scourge…”

“Mr. Schmidt,” at some point Thor had stood up. He looked straight at the Red Skull, without fear in his eyes. “I’m warning you. Domestic violence is not just physical violence, verbal violence can also be included. And if you said what you say to us to Bucky, then I have the right to report you to child services and have you removed from custody.”

“Are you an Odinson?” Schmidt’s gaze fell on Thor.

“I think your brother just died? I suggest you mind your own business and save your family from a second funeral.”

With that, the Red Skull slammed a fist on the table and pointed towards the door.

“You have no manners. I will not allow you to see my adopted son. Get out of my house at once. Now.”


	13. I’m no stranger to death. -– Loki

1

A ghost was pacing back and forth in the cellar.

“There’s a shovel in the corner! When the Red Skull comes down, you can smack him in the back of the head… No, the shovel is too heavy for you to wield in your present state…”

“Use a hammer! A small one, you take it in one hand, it should be powerful enough to break that red skull! Alas… there is no hammer here!”

Loki mused, shouted, and stomped his feet, but the person behind him seemed care-free.

“Bucky, why are you still lying there?” Loki urged when seeing Bucky motionless. “Come and find out what tools you can use. The Red Skull will be back soon!”

The boy on the floor frowned. “That’s enough, Loki.”

The ghost’s brows furrowed: “Huh?”

“I said enough,” said the boy on the floor impatiently. “Whether you go to Heaven or Hell, reincarnate or continue to wander the earth, go anywhere you like, leave me alone.”

“What are you talking about?” Loki said incredulously. “The Red Skull is out of his mind. If I leave you alone you’re dead meat…”

“But I just want to die!”

Bucky sat up, writhing in pain from the pull at the wound. He shivered for a moment and hissed at the empty cellar.

“Why did you have to save me? I told you I’m not worth it! You don’t understand. I killed my brother, right in this very cellar!”

Bucky let out a howl of despair, and hot tears rolled down his face.

“Rumlow wouldn’t have died if it wasn’t for me. I… I’m a murderer…”

“Rumlow?” The conversation moved so quickly that the ghost became confused. He paused wide-eyed and thought for a long time before hesitantly speaking up. “You mean the Red Skull’s eldest son? You killed him? Don’t be ridiculous. The whole town knows he died of an illness.”

Bucky gritted his teeth. “I made him sicker. He’s not well enough to go out, but ever since I came here… He wouldn’t have died if I hadn’t been adopted.”

“The Red Skull told you all this?” Asked Loki.

“Does it matter who said it?” Bucky asked hysterically. “What matters is that I killed Rumlow. I’m a killer!”

“Listen, Bucky,” the ghost said in a low voice, a word at a time, “Frigga works at the town hospital, her love always overflows and she gets nosy. She had seen Rumlow’s case, and your brother died of an acute myocardial infarction. It’s a hereditary heart disease, ‘hereditary’, you know? It had nothing to do with you. It was an accident!”

“The Red Skull is lying to you. He blames you for his son’s death, which gives him reason to abuse you. Don’t you see?”

2

Steve’s hands were still shaking. The Schmidts’ front door slammed shut behind him and Thor. It was predawn, and the silence in the streets made the sound of the door slamming seem even more jarring.

“Don’t worry, Steve, the Red Skull’s a dead man.”

A hand patted Steve on the shoulder reassuringly. Thor waved his phone and winked.

“I’ve recorded everything he said, it’s all evidence! No matter why he said those things, he’s not going to be Bucky’s guardian anymore. Let’s go, go find your dad. He’s a cop, he’ll know what to do.”

Steve nodded gratefully, but instead of walking, he turned to his friend solemnly.

“Thor, have you got any wires?”

“Huh?”

The Odinson Boy looked puzzled. “Why would I bring that? Why don’t you ask me for a hammer?”

“What about a Swiss army knife?”

“Yeah, but what do you need a knife for?” Thor suddenly tensed up and grabbed Steve by the shoulder. “Look, Steve, I know you’re angry right now, but it’s illegal to kill!”

Steve sighed and gave his best friend a sour look. “Am I that impulsive in your eyes?”

Thor paused, thinking carefully: “Not usually… but when it comes to Bucky, you forget how to spell ‘calm’.”

Steve sighed again.

“Thor, give me the knife. I’m calm now, I swear. I just want to make sure of something…”

3

it’s not that Bucky never doubted the things that Schmidt said to him. But how dare he doubt it? That’s his father, the foster father who rescued him from the orphanage and gave him everything.

He loves “him”.

He must love “him”.

But if “he” doesn’t love him.

What should he do?

If “he” doesn’t need him, who would?

In the dark cellar, the lonely boy and the lonely ghost confronted each other. Bucky was silently crying. The right side of his body ached as if it was about to get ripped open. He probably had a couple of broken ribs, but he didn’t care.

“Does talking about this matter now?” Bucky squeezed his eyes shut and let the tears roll down his cheeks. “It hurts, Loki, it hurts so much! I can’t stand it! If living means suffering, then why should I live?”

“Because it’s not worth dying for a bastard like that. If you die, the Red Skull wins. Do you want to see him go free?” Loki shouted.

“That’s easy for you to say!” Bucky yelled back. “Of course you want to live. You have a family that loves you. But what do I have? I have nothing. Do you know how jealous I got when you were feeling sorry for yourself in that cemetery?”

“You…” Loki stared wide-eyed. His hand was outstretched in mid-air, then it clenched into a fist.

“Feel sorry for myself? So you think you know me?” The ghost’s voice blared with anger. “What do you know? You have no idea what I’ve been through–- I… I envy you!”

Bucky opened his eyes and stared into the empty darkness.

“I’m jealous that you are still alive.”

4

Guilt crept onto Bucky’s face, and he suddenly realized what he had just said to a ghost. He reached out into the darkness.

“Loki… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that!”

“Listen, Bucky, death doesn’t make things better. All the sadness and pain just get stronger and stronger in endless loneliness.” the ghost said softly. Transparent tears slid down his transparent cheeks and disappeared into nothingness.

“I don’t want to tell you how good it is to be alive, because it’s all a lie! Life is a mixture of bad things and trouble.”

“But believe me, I know this from experience, death is far worse!”

“If you die, everything’s over. You can never talk to the people you love, you can never taste caramel pudding, you can never feel the warmth of the sun, you can never touch the coolness of the dew, and a regret will forever be a regret…”

“You know what, Bucky?” The ghost laughed. “The last thing I said to my mom was that I hated her.”

“I yelled at my family, slammed the door in hysterics and died so easily. They must have thought I hated them.”

“Of course I do, but not that much… But now I never get to tell them.”

The ghost smiled. Tears sparkled in his emerald eyes.

“But you still have a chance, Bucky.”

“I hope you won’t give up. That boy, Steve, he’s waiting for you isn’t he? I hate to admit it, but Thor really has good taste. His friends are never bad guys.”

“Steve will be there with you. He needs you and you’re not alone.”

Bucky could sense from the ghost’s voice that he was crying. He couldn’t see his face, but he could guess Loki’s expression.

He regretted talking about jealousy in front of the dead boy. He wasn’t the one who could only watch when his family was in despair, he wasn’t the one who could only stand in silence in front of his own body... Loki couldn’t even talk to anyone before he met him. Bucky couldn’t imagine how lonely and sad he was.

And now he’s comforting him.

He’s helping him.

Bucky hated owing favors. He didn’t want to bother others, he didn’t want to cause them pain, especially when it comes to the people he cared about. So he ran away from Steve, he tried to push Loki away, but was that really the right thing to do?

“You will have your chance, Loki.” Bucky struggled to his feet before he realized what he was doing. He wiped the tears from his face and smiled into the dark cellar.

“I can hear you, and as long as I’m around, you can tell your family anything you want.”

The ghost looked at Bucky in shock. He seemed to be trying to say something, but before he could respond, heavy footsteps overhead got all his attention.

Then there was a click of metal, a key was inserted into the keyhole of the trapdoor-- the Red Skull was back!

5

A thin, narrow blade stirred in the keyhole.

“I thought you were a model student, Steve,” Thor murmured, looking at the attentive boy. “but you can pick a lock!”

Steve wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled sheepishly. “Come on, I grew up with Bucky.” he said. “Some things you can learn gradually from watching.”

“Sounds like Bucky’s better?”

“Of course,” Steve nodded proudly. “Bucky was the best in our orphanage! He even opened the Dean’s Safe!”

With that, a “click” sounded under Steve’s hand and the Schmidts’ front door opened.

It was dark inside and no sound could be heard. Steve looked over his shoulder to make sure there was no sign of the Red Skull before trying to step inside, but Thor grabbed him.

“How about going to Sergeant Fury? This is trespassing. If the Red Skull gets us, we’re done,” Thor whispered.

“Don’t worry, we’ve been waiting for almost an hour and the Red Skull must be asleep, not to mention the fuse is broken so the alarm system’s down. Everything’s gonna be fine.” Steve said, turning to stare at his friend. “Or are you scared?”

“Scared?” Thor straightens his back. “I’m not scared! It’s just breaking and entering. No big deal. Especially since we’re going to make sure Bucky’s safe. It’s the right thing to do!”

With that, he entered the dark room confidently.

6

The moonlight covered the floors of Schmidts’ house with a silvery gauze.

The two boys tiptoed through the living room, climbed to the second floor and moved along the hallway, leaning against the wall. They carefully poked their heads into each room, checking out even the dusty spare room. No sight of Bucky.

“Steve, this is so strange.” Thor quivered.

“Yeah,” Steve nodded. “Bucky’s not home. Did he run away, like the Red Skull said?”

“No,” Thor said, his face ashen and his eyes wide as he looked at Steve. “We’ve been guarding the door. No one’s come out. So… where’s the Red Skull?”

As the two blond boys stared at each other, a clatter sounded in the master bedroom that caught their attention. as if something had fallen to the floor.

They looked at each other and crept to the door of the room, looking in in confusion.

Thor remembered that they had examined this room not long ago and that it was empty, and the floor was covered with a red woolen carpet. That carpet had not been laid properly, one of the corners was folded beneath, forming a long fold. It gives people the urge to flatten it out. Thor remembered taking a second glance.

But now, the red carpet had been lifted!

Under the carpet, a black teddy bear lay on the dark brown wood floor. Next to the bear was a closed trapdoor.

\----------

1⃣️ The next chapter is going to reveal a hidden foreshadow, I have been hiding it for a long time and I can’t hold it any longer! 😂Though you guys are probably gonna lose interest after I reveal it.


	14. The reaper is coming to town

1

When the ashtray exploded at Schmidt’s fingertips, he was almost scared. Not because he was timid, as a psychopath, Schmidt had seen many things and he wasn’t afraid of getting hurt. Blood was like a stimulant, it only made him excited, even if it was his own blood.

There was only one reason he would be scared-- it wasn’t the first time that something like this had happened.

A year ago, the first time he lashed out on Bucky, the fluorescent light bulb exploded above his head. He wasn’t wearing a wig that day, and glass shards stuck all over his head. He spent the night getting rid of the shards on his bald head with tweezers. It was devastating.

For a while after that, whenever he wanted to do something to Bucky, something strange would happen.

The teacup on the table burst; the whip in his hand broke in two; the chair he lifted slipped out of his hand and struck the wall behind him hard, breaking into splinters.

As if an invisible hand was holding him back.

That’s just creepy and weird. At one point he nearly became superstitious, wondering if his adopted son had a patron saint with him or something.

But two weeks later, on a sunny morning, all of that stopped. It never happened since.

Schmidt thought he won.

See, even the gods aren’t in my way anymore.

God must know that I love you too.

So, what he did to Bucky got worse.

2

Schmidt was more concerned with the sudden darkness than with the cut on his palm from the exploding ashtray.

He hated the dark. As a child, he was locked in a locker accompanied only with his own screams. It was narrow and dark in there, cramped and oppressive, almost maddening.

And he did go mad.

So he killed the cat, wrapped its bloody head in a beautiful ribbon and sent it back to the bullies.

For the first time in his life, he felt the thrill of revenge when fear appeared on their faces. Since then, everyone who laughed at him paid their price.

Pain? Fear? Even the threat of death became the best weapon in his hands.

If staying to himself couldn’t solve the problem, then control everything else with fear! He grew up believing that.

Schmidt held up his flashlight and stared quizzically at the smoking switch. The wire had burned out and the rubber on the surface had melted and shrunk. It wasn’t just a matter of replacing the fuse.

This night, it seems, is destined for darkness.

Schmidt sighed. His time was running out. The two annoying blonds didn’t seem to be giving up. Maybe they’ll call the police when they get back.

He admitted that he had lost his temper. He shouldn’t have said so much. He just… couldn’t stay calm.

He only had Bucky, and even though he was just a replacement, he couldn’t let go. If he ran away from him, wouldn’t he be alone again?

No, he would never let that happen.

Whatever it takes.

Schmidt fished a kerosene lamp and a crowbar out of the spare room, hesitated, picked up a medical kit in the corner, and calmly walked toward the bedroom.

In the flickering light of the kerosene lamp, the key went in the lock, the trap door creaked as usual, and Schmidt entered the cellar.

The cellar was eerily silent, even the wind was silent. The black crowbar dragged on the uneven ground, making rustling noises.

“My dear Rumlow, where are you?” Schmidt drawled.

“Dad shouldn’t have crossed the line, dad brought a medical kit, let’s bandage the wound and do some happy things together…”

No sooner had the words left his lips than a gush of wind swooshed behind his ear.

In the blind spot where Schmidt could not see him, Bucky rushed out with a pitch-black shovel in his hand, aiming for the back of Schmidt’s head.

3

“Wade, are you sure this is the right house?”

In the pale moonlight, the brown-haired boy narrowed his eyes and looked at the Odinsons’ door suspiciously. He stood in the driveway in red spandex, with a spider embroidered on his chest. In his hand was a strange machine shaped like a trumpet, seemingly scanning for something.

“There are no soul waves here.”

“I’m pretty sure the client’s last name is Odinson.”

At the boy’s side, the guy called Wade shrugged. He was also wearing red and black spandex. A mask was over his face, making it impossible to see his expression.

“It’s just that…” the masked man drawled in a cynical voice. “We’re probably two weeks late… a full two weeks.”

“What?” The young man suddenly turned his head, staring in shock at his colleague, “You forgot the time again?”

“Don’t get so excited, spidie. I didn’t mean it,” Wade said, raising his hand in a surrender. “It’s such a lonely town with so few customers. Doesn’t hurt to be a little late?”

“How could you say that?” said the young man angrily. “As a qualified Reaper, we must reach the dead as soon as possible and guide their souls, or they will become ghosts!

“This client is only a child. How frightened should he be after wandering on his own for days?”

The more the boy talked, the angrier he got. He clenched his fist and looked as if he was about to cry.

“How many years has it been? Why are you still so unreliable? Have you forgotten what happened last time? If you weren’t late, you wouldn’t have lost the soul!”

Seeing tears at the corners of the young man’s eyes, the masked man didn’t know what to do.

“Peter, don’t worry, we’ll find the kid,” he hurriedly flipped open his cell phone. “Loki! The kid’s name is Loki! Let’s see… his funeral was yesterday, maybe he’s still in the cemetery, yeah, he must be in the cemetery!”

At three in the morning, in the driveway of Odinsons’ house, two guys covered in spandex were shouting agitatedly. Strangely enough, neither the sleeping people in the house nor the little bird resting on a tree branch stirred.

As if… No one could hear them.

4

Bucky ran from behind the back of the stairs with a pitch-black shovel in his hand. The shovel was too big and heavy for his size, and it took almost all of his strength to swing it. But he didn’t have a choice.

After the key was inserted into the lock, he had only a short time to choose his weapon and find a place to hide in the darkness of the cellar. It was not easy, but a ghost was helping him.

Thanks to the kerosene lamp the Red Skull brought, he could see where he should struck. He held his breath, clenched his teeth, raised the shovel, and swung it hard.

The Red Skull flung himself to one side, the kerosene lamp and the medical kit thrown to the ground, and the shovel struck the ground beside him with a dull thud.

Bucky was taken aback when he missed, he subconsciously tried to lift the shovel but failed.

“Look out--”

With a cry of concern from the ghost, the Red Skull turned and with a flying kick, his foot hit Bucky in the stomach.

The boy cried out in pain and fall back, knocking over a pile of debris and finally hitting the hard ground, doubling over from the pain.

“Bucky, get up!” The ghost shouted, unable to stop the Red Skull from approaching.

The man easily kicked the shovel aside and picked up the crowbar from the floor.

He smiled sorrowfully: “Ah James, you have grown haven’t you, you can even sneak attack now, hmm? You want to kill me and then run away? Dad would be so sad.”

Bucky was still curled up on the floor, clutching his stomach and gasping in pain.

“Ahh, I’ve got it,” said the Red Skull with a crowbar in his hand, and his face suddenly brightened. “If you don’t have legs, you can’t run away.”

Loki’s eyes widened, fear coursing through his veins. For a moment, he didn’t fully understand what the Red Skull was saying. He just stared at the raised crowbar.

It struck.

A heart-wrenching scream.

Bucky’s body shook violently, his left arm bent to one side in an unnatural gesture, howls of pain rose from his throat and he huddled in a heap.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I missed.”

The Red Skull made a guilty face, but soon he laughed again. “But don’t worry, Dad promise to hit your leg this time.”

Loki finally shouted out as the dark crowbar ripped through the air a second time.

“No --”

At that moment, footsteps sounded on the stairs. A figure jumped down and threw the red skull to the ground.

“Let go of Bucky! You son of a --”

5

**Steve liked Bucky.**

**In the orphanage, Bucky was always the best. He was warm and funny, always surrounded by laughter and chatter. Everyone wanted to be friends with Bucky, but Bucky would always reach out to Steve.**

**“Bucky, why? Why would you want to befriend me?” Little Steve once asked Bucky.**

**At that time, he was thin and small but too stubborn, and never stuck to himself so he was always bullied.**

**“Why?” Bucky flicked Steve’s forehead and looked at him with wide green eyes.**

**“Because I like you, little guy! And you’re so stubborn you never surrender. You’ll never make it without me!”**

**Bucky patted himself on his little chest and grinned.**

**Steve liked Bucky’s smile, and when he was with Bucky, he was always happy.**

**But Steve cared about Bucky’s happiness more than his own.**

**So even though he knew he would be lonely after Bucky left, he genuinely persuaded Bucky to go.**

**“Go, Bucky, you’re lucky to be adopted. You’ll have a family and you won’t be an orphan anymore. Write to me when you miss me, and I promise I’ll write back!”**

**He held back his sadness and wished Bucky all the best.**

**That gentleman seemed nice. Bucky would be happy, right?**

**This is what Steve told himself as he crept up against the wall to see his friend off.**

**Bucky would be happy. He wiped the tears from his eyes.**

**When we grow up, we’ll see each other again.**

**A few years later, they did meet again, but why… didn’t Bucky seem happy?**

6

Sixteen-year-old Steve was six feet seven. He loved sports and ran laps on the school playground every morning, and has some muscles in his arms. When he jumped up in a rage, he was as powerful as a little cannonball.

He flung the Red Skull to the ground, and the crowbar flew out of the man’s hand and fell to the ground. The two struggled, and the whole room shook.

But the ghost wasn’t paying attention. As Steve ran towards the Red Skull, another blond boy ran from the stairs.

Thor ran worriedly to Bucky then gasped when he noticed how badly the dark-haired boy was hurt.

“Steve!” Thor yelled.

Loki never thought he’d see his brother again.

“Thor, take Bucky with you!” Steve shouted between attacks, but it wasn’t convincing.

After the initial advantage of surprise had passed, the battle between the two had become a purely physical one.

The Red Skull was a grown man, he was stronger. As a professional doctor and a professional psychopath, he had honed his fighting skills over the years, and every punch landed was painful for Steve.

Almost immediately after Steve shouted, the Red Skull wrestled the boy to the ground and hit him hard in the face.

Again and again.

Before the third blow, Thor made his decision and hurled himself at the Red Skull, cursing as he went.

“Let go of Steve, you son of a --”

7

If it hadn’t been so bloody, this would have been funny.

Loki nearly smiled seeing the handsome Thor brandishing a crowbar and getting into a fistfight with a bald guy (Schmidt’s wig had fallen off in the scuffle and was nowhere to be seen) , followed by a bloody-faced Steve.

But he soon stopped smiling, because Bucky, who had been moaning in a low voice, suddenly stopped.

The ghost quickly approached Bucky and was surprised to see a pool of blood under the boy.

Maybe he hit something sharp when he fell, or maybe the wound had opened, and bright red blood was pouring out of Bucky’s right abdomen, quickly turning the ground bright red.

“Bucky? Bucky!” Loki looked at the boy whose eyes had closed. “Damn it, you can’t sleep now. Open your eyes!”

His skin was pale and he was beathing short and fast, clearly in hemorrhagic shock. If he didn’t get blood soon, Bucky would probably die.

Realizing this, Loki looked at the three men wrestling together.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh was jarring and terrifying. Even when two against one, Steve and Thor were fighting hard. They barely escaped the attack of the Red Skull with all their might, never mind fighting back -- they don’t have the energy to focus on the situation here.

But they had to pay attention, or Bucky will die.

If they couldn’t win, then someone had to help them win.

Loki raises his hand, feeling the heat that rushed to his palm.

8

The three men fought in the cellar, swinging their fists in a torrent of abuse and expletives. They were loomed in the dim yellow light, which came from the kerosene lamp in the corner.

The light flickered. The anger of those around it didn’t seem to have any influence on it, the flame was still dim and small.

But suddenly the light became brighter, as if oxygen had been pumped in, and the flame had grown so large that the glass chimney melted. The flames ignited a wooden box nearby, and the sudden flare caught the attention of the three men.

Meanwhile, a crowbar flew off the ground and smashed into the Red Skull’s red skull .

Loki gasped. It was more tiring than he thought. Unlike blowing up the ashtray, he had to control the crowbar precisely to avoid hitting Thor and Steve on the side.

He succeeded, but he was too careful and the blow was not strong enough, the Red Skull staggered and soon regained his footing.

Black smoke billowed. The flames burned all the way along the wooden boxes in the corner, and soon lit up the whole cellar.

The three were still locked together, but the rolling firelight clearly affected their state of mind.

Some people didn’t care –- the Red Skull for example, who has gone completely insane and didn’t even notice the flames. He just wanted to smash the obstacles that stood between him and Rumlow.

Some people got impatient, like Thor -- he wanted to finish the fight. This is the basement, the fire will go up, and Thor knew very well that if the fire continued to spread, they wouldn’t be able to escape.

Someone was worried, Steve’s mind immediately went to Bucky -- he turned his head to look for Bucky and screamed in horror when he saw the boy unmoving -- and took a solid blow from the Red Skull.

Loki was still gasping, and he felt his strength dropping rapidly. Although it wasn’t what he thought it would be, at least Steve had found out about Bucky, and if anyone could hold on to the Red Skull for a while and give them time to escape, Bucky might get saved.

He must keep up.

Loki raised his shaking hands. The shovel and the table in the corner floated up, then accelerated and slammed towards the Red Skull.

The sudden attack took everyone by surprise. Thor could not understand why the tools in the room flew up on their own and smashed towards the Red Skull like being attracted by a magnet.

Steve didn’t get it either, but he didn’t have time to think. He took advantage of the Red Skull’s temporary collapse and ran eagerly in Bucky’s direction. He was trembling as he pulled up his friend.

In the blazing light, the furniture of the house suddenly seemed to come to life, flying one after another towards the Red Skull, crashing into him, smashing into him, as if the whole house was suddenly enraged.

“What the hell… is this a haunting?”

Thor stared in shock at what was before him, and for some reason he felt a faint unease in his chest, as if he were about to lose something important.

9

Not enough. Not enough.

Loki was almost on his knees, feeling drained of all his strength and his hands were burning.

Just hang in there.

He saw Steve hold Bucky and struggle towards the stairs, saw Thor recover from the shock and run to the other side to help Bucky.

He saw the Red Skull in the corner, struggling against a wall of incoming objects, but did not fall.

On the contrary, as Loki grew tired, the objects in the air were no longer as powerful as they had been at first, and soon he might not be able to stop the Red Skull.

“Stop it, boy.”

In the noisy cellar, a voice suddenly rang out.

Loki paused, not knowing if he was speaking to himself, then out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a familiar figure.

“The… reaper?”

Loki gasped, too exhausted to say a full sentence.

Death, clad in black-and-red tights, nodded and pointed at the ghost.

Loki turned his head in confusion, only to discover that he could see the light of the fire in front of him through his hands -- his hands had become transparent!

Like a painting dipped in water, it could almost disappear into thin air.

“Stop it, or you’ll disappear.”

10

**It was a sunny day.**

**Wade waddled down a country road, humming a tune he just made up. He named the piece** **“** **Before the end of the day** **”** **to mark a day doomed to tedium.**

**Wade loved big cities, with its tacos, superhero comics, murder cases and display of chaotic human nature. Every client is full of stories, and every story is crazy enough.**

**But unfortunately, his luck had never been good, when selecting his responsible area, he avoided all the Metropolis, and was assigned to this damn place.**

**Marvel Town? Wade tutted.**

**He hated rural towns, most of which were dull and unexciting. People here tend to live long and prosper. In terms of the number of potential clients, it is not a place worth paying attention to.**

**If you personify this town, it must be a nun with a poker face? She spends her days arranging flowers and singing songs and lives a simple life.**

**Wade played with these thoughts as he went through the memo in his phone. Under the** **“** **Work** **” column** **was a file labeled** **“** **Human** **”. In it was** **a single photo.**

**It was of a dark-haired boy whose name was… Rumlow.**

———————————

1⃣️The implication is obvious, but I have to mention that section 10 is exactly the same as section 1 of Chapter 7, except for the last word. Well… you understand it, right 😂? This section is a thing of the past.

2⃣️The Reaper who should pick up Loki just came this chapter, Loki and Death had not yet talked, so the previous Reaper is a fake, a fake! So who is he… if you don’t get it it’s because I’m too bad a writer, I’ll get to it later. I welcome all comments! BTW is this suspense interesting… I left a lot of foreshadowing and details before…


	15. Rumlow was not a good person

1

Rumlow was not a good person. He never had been.

While the other kids were learning how to ride bikes, he was learning how to dissect frogs. Well, maybe not just frogs.

His father wanted to teach him how to dissect cats, but he refused. Cats are cute. He liked cute things. Cute things made him happy, he didn’t want to destroy them. He was so lonely after all.

Of course he was lonely. If your dad had locked you up like a doll all day, you’d be lonely, too.

Besides, he’d seen the world.

Before he was eleven, he went to school like any other child. That’s when he realized his dad was different.

Other dads love their kids, but they also give them freedom. The other kids could go almost anywhere they want to after school.

And he couldn’t.

Schmidt “escorted” him to and from school the entire time. Sometimes, when his classmates greeted him, he even saw a sudden burst of jealousy on Schmidt’s face.

If the school had organized a field trip, he would have “ran into” Schmidt at the field trip location. And he may find Schmidt in every nook and cranny.

That is definitely not normal.

Schmidt’s behavior frightened him, but he told himself that it was his father and he wouldn’t hurt him. In fact, apart from the usual “stalker” behavior, Schmidt was really nice to him.

He gave him almost everything he asked for. Schmidt bought him whatever he wanted, and he looked at him with eyes full of love.

Well, maybe he’s just jittery. The day he had that thought, Schmidt suddenly told him that he was sick and couldn’t go to school anymore.

His father was a doctor, and Rumlow had faith in his expertise. And since his mother had died of illness, Schmidt’s caution was understandable.

So he stayed at home quietly and learnt all kinds of knowledge with his father. Admittedly, Schmidt’s teachings were really good. His grades steadily rose, and he seemed to be doing better than he did in school. Everything was fine except the boredom… being home alone was boring as hell.

Even though his father was clearly not so saine, he was only a child, and he wanted to play with his peers.

Then they moved, to a small town in the middle of nowhere. There were few people there, and Schmidt’s grip loosened. So Rumlow tried to ask if he could find a playmate for himself, and surprisingly, Schmidt agreed.

2

Schmidt adopted a child. They chose him together. Dark hair, green eyes, looked just like his mother, and was so cute.

Rumlow loved cute things and decided to be merciful and let the kid be his pet, just like the cat he had failed to kill before. When he adopted him, he even brought a black teddy bear as a gift.

Look how nice I am to you. Rumlow thought, and even sneaked up to the gates to see the boy when Schmidt wasn’t looking. Then he saw his future brother/pet hugging a blond-haired blue-eyed guy, and they even agree to post letters to each other.

Rumlow was furious, but he just mastered his expression and got back to the car.

It took him five minutes to calm down. It’s okay. They had time, the kid’s staying at his house, he would have plenty of time to fix everything.

But life never works out the way you want it to, and despite his insistence that he kept Bucky as a pet, he grew to like him more and more.

It’s simple. First of all, Bucky’s really cute. Cuter than a cat.

Second, Bucky was different from everyone he’d ever met. He was warm, funny, and trusted his “brother” with all his heart. Rumlow had never experienced that before.

In his life, the man he met most, was his father of course. Schmidt taught him to doubt everyone, to control everyone, to trust no one, because no human being could be trusted.

But Bucky’s different. He’s really nice and really trustworthy. Rumlow was happy when he was with him. He didn’t have to look over his shoulder and mask himself, he could laugh freely.

Every now and then, he would realize that he was different from Schmidt. His father said that a part of him came from his mother. He’d never met his mother, but he didn’t hate that part of himself.

As for the part that came from his father, he didn’t hate it too, to be honest. He looked at the thick envelopes signed “Steve” in the letterbox, removed them coldly, then stuffed them into a wooden box and dropped them in the cellar under the carpet in Schmidt’s room.

He knew his father had a cellar, though Schmidt didn’t know he knew.

Schmidt kept a variety of tools there, including saws, shovels, and a full set of scalpels of various sizes. These things were used frequently when they were in the previous city. Schmidt would use them for “grown-up things.” Rumlow had seen them.

The stray dogs that snarled at him, the hobos that dirtied his clothes, these things that Schmidt called “crap” would occasionally turn up in the cellar and turn into a bloody mess.

That was scary. Rumlow was scared at first, too. He got used to it.

The cellar hasn’t been used since they moved here. Schmidt liked this town, and no one’s made him cross yet. Perhaps it’s because of the small number of people, everyone was well-mannered but also not too familiar.

As the letters pile up in the box, Rumlow’s relationship with Bucky got better. Just when he thought the cellar would never be needed again, a change took place.

Schmidt began to stare at Bucky with jealous eyes, just as he had looked at that hobo before.

Rumlow got scared. He didn’t want to lose Bucky, definitely not.

Troubles were always coming, and while his worries were still there, new problems came.

He was bitten by Tony’s dog.

His dad knew he got bit by Tony’s dog.

Tony’s dog was missing.

He almost instantaneously thought of the cellar, so he went down and sure enough saw Schmidt dissecting the dog.

He didn’t want to scream. He’s been around, his dad’s a psycho killer, and he’s not going to be scared of a dead dog.

But then he thought of Bucky.

This dog is dead, and the next to die… could it be Bucky?

Unable to accept the suggestion, he fell to the floor in an instant, clutching his mouth and trembling.

Would he lose Bucky? Would Bucky… turn into a bloody mess too?

He started screaming.

The things that followed were swift and dramatic. Like a story written by an author who didn’t bother to write the details and only wanted to finish the plot. Everything was accelerated.

To stop him from screaming, Schmidt tied him to a chair and sedated him.

Then Bucky came down, saw his sleepy form, and started screaming too.

He was a little happy then. See, Bucky really liked him.

And then his dad tried to kill Bucky, and he had to start begging.

And then… a sudden pain seared through his chest, and then he was dead.

It was an acute myocardial infarction, a hereditary disease, the same as his mother’s.

How ironic.

What he didn’t count on was that when you die… you become a ghost.

3

“Kid, you’re going to dissipate if you keep using it.”

When Wade first spoke to him, Rumlow was taken aback.

It was the third week after his death, four of the five stages of grief had passed. He had fully accepted his death, busily wandered around town every day, occasionally went to see free movies and sometimes took a walk on the water -- the life of a ghost was so plain and dull.

He knew, therefore, that his voice could not be heard by the living.

“Are you… are you dead, too?”

Rumlow’s words made Wade laugh. He shook his head and said solemnly, “You’re only half right. I’m not like you. I’m dea…th!”

“In short, I’m here to take you to the land of the dead. It means to go to Heaven.”

Rumlow looked at him scornfully, partly because the guy was so confusingly articulate, and partly because… two weeks after his death, a strange man in a straitjacket came out of nowhere and claim to be Death. Does Deaths always stall like this?

“I’m telling the truth!”

Presumably thinking that Rumlow did not believe him, Death took a small black pad from his pocket, opened the first page and handed it to the ghost.

It was a badge, neatly printed with the personal information of Death Wade Wilson, and a steel seal was stamped in the lower right corner.

Rumlow stared at his badge for several seconds, then turned to the Reaper.

“You look a lot fatter than your picture.”

“Hey, watch it!”

Rumlow shrugged. “So… what did you mean by dissipating?”

Death smiled, but with the mask on, his smile always seemed a little strange.

“Have you moved things with the power of your soul? More than once.”

Rumlow squinted. “How do you know?”

“Don’t look down on me. I’m a top Dead-ivy League graduate. I can see it with plain eyes. The concentration of your soul is dangerously low.

“Haven’t you realized? You’re more transparent now than you were when you just died.”

Rumlow put out his hand and took a few close looks and his expression gradually became serious. He thought he was imagining it.

“At your current level of transparency, three more times… and you’ll be dead. Oh, for a second time, and this time you won’t be reincarnated.”

Wade held out his hands in a messianic gesture, “But you needn’t be alarmed, because I’m here now. Go to Heaven with me and you can be reincarnated no matter the concentration of your soul, and I’m a really nice guy, you get a discount cuz I’m two weeks late, like a last wish or something…”

Rumlow’s eyes widened. “A last wish…?”

“Yeah,” said Death, smiling mysteriously, “A true wish. You can have anything but resurrection. But it’s only for yourself and no one else.”

Rumlow was visibly discouraged.

“I just looked up your history of using your soul energy, and you’ve moved mortal objects to save someone. Your adopted brother I suppose?

“I’m sorry but you can’t save him. His life is his own.”

Rumlow was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked at the Reaper.

“Did you just say you’ll make any last wish come true as long as it’s not resurrection?”

“Yeah, Deaths never lie.”

“Well all right,” Rumlow nodded. “Then I’m staying here. I’m not going to the land of the dead, I’m staying here.”

”…”

“No.”

“Huh?” Rumlow froze.

“It’s my job to guide you to the land of the dead. If I don’t do it, I’ll miss an achievement, which will affect my performance this month… Besides, it’s not allowed to let a soul go!”

“I thought you said it could be anything but a resurrection.”

“Who knew you’d make such a weird wish? Don’t people always say ‘let me say goodbye to my Family’ or ‘let me have another barbecue’?”

“You said that Deaths never lie! You cheat!”

“No, absolutely not! You can have at most… at most a year,” Wade said reluctantly, checking his phone memo, “It’s the longest I can give. I’ll be back in a year, and then you’ll have to come with me and that’s it. If you don’t agree, then forget that last wish and I’ll make you go now!”

“You’re two weeks late. Can’t I get a discount?”

“A year.” the Reaper didn’t give in. “It’s up to you.”

“Deal.” Rumlow said.

“By the way.” the boy looked at Death. “The taboos about ghosts… like what you said about moving things will make me disappear. Anything else I have to watch out for?”

“There’s a lot.” said Death, suddenly excited. “And you’re a genius at this, ghosts usually can’t move physical objects without training.

“Oh, and if you want to, you can play dress-up and change into whatever you want. It’s cool, but it also uses up your soul energy… At your current concentration, you can only use it four more times. Don’t try to save your brother. You Don’t want to dissipate, do you?

“Oh, and let me tell you about the three laws of ghosts…”

4

After the Reaper left, Rumlow continued his lonely life of a ghost.

The only thing was… He couldn’t stop Schmidt from abusing Bucky anymore.

Rumlow didn’t want to die. He wasn’t a self-sacrificing guy, and as much as he wanted to save Bucky, he didn’t want to disappear.

At first he dared to stand and watch. Later he could only muffle his ears and peer quietly from a corner. And later… whenever Schmidt dragged Bucky into the basement, he would slip out the door and wander the streets for hours before he dared to return.

His father was an asshole and he knew it, but he didn’t expect him to be such an asshole.

He really wanted to save Bucky, but what’s the point of stopping one abuse or two? Besides… he didn’t want to disappear.

As the days past, Rumlow roamed the streets.

The place he went most often was the cabin behind the hills, where he and Bucky used to call their secret place. He just sat in front of the cabin door, looking at the endless forest, just quietly looking.

He had met Bucky there too. Bucky obviously came to take refuge, and when he did, he was scarred and exhausted.

Rumlow felt sorry for his younger brother, so he occasionally “talked” with him. But of course he was only talking to himself, Bucky could not hear him.

After all, the living cannot hear the dead.

Unless… he’s near to death.

“Is anyone out there?”

One day, eleven months later, Rumlow was speaking as he always did to Bucky who had taken refuge in the cabin, and got his first response.

“Can you hear me?” Rumlow answered subconsciously.

“Why not? Are you outside the house? You sound familiar by the way…” Bucky carefully leaned out the window and looked, only to see endless forests.

The ghost fled.

5

Bucky could hear him now.

But why?

“Only those who are near death can hear the voices of ghosts.”

Bucky was… near death?

Rumlow raced through the woods.

That’s impossible. He recently snuck into school to see Bucky’s medical records, and despite all the trauma Schmidt had caused, Bucky was perfectly healthy. When he left the orphanage, he had a full physical examination, and there were no genetic conditions.

Rumlow paused.

Then there’s only one possibility -- Bucky wanted to die.

Rumlow recalled Bucky’s recent behavior. He did become more and more silent. Rumlow did not know what was going on in the cellar, since he had avoided it when Schmidt beat Bucky.

He’s been with Bucky for almost a year, and he hadn’t noticed a change in his psychology?

He wanted to die. His brother wanted to die.

Rumlow fell to the ground.

So death was right and he couldn’t save Bucky?

6

By the time Rumlow returned to the cabin, Bucky had long gone and the sky was the color of lead.

The night wind was cold and desolate, and in the deep woods only crows cawed. He went round the dry well in front of the door and sat down on the steps, deep in thought.

Now that he could talk to Bucky, could he take this opportunity to talk him out of dying?

No.

Rumlow was quick to dismiss the idea. After just a sentence, Bucky recognized his voice as “familiar”. If he had said more, Bucky would have realized who he was.

He’s the son of Schmidt, the son of a psycho bastard. Because of his death, Bucky endured a year of torture and was even forced to be his replacement. Bucky would lose his mind if he knew he was talking to Rumlow.

Well, what to do now?

As Rumlow fell into despair, there was a sudden rush of footsteps in the distance.

He thought Bucky was back so he got up, just to see an unfamiliar figure running out of the woods.

It was a black-haired boy with green eyes. He was well dressed, and if Rumlow’s memory serves, this was the second son of the Odinson family.

Wait… Rumlow’s eyes widened. If he couldn’t talk to Bucky, what about someone else?

Well, Bucky could hear a voice as long as it’s a ghost’s.

The boy ran closer and closer and came to the edge of the dry well…

“At your current concentration, you can only use it four more times.”

Rumlow suddenly recalled the voice of Death.

Using it one more time wouldn’t make him disappear, would it?

He lifted his finger lightly and coldly watched the boy fell into the dry well.

And then there was a crack.

How long does it take a dead to become a ghost?

He had to hide when the time was right.

Rumlow wasn’t a good person, he never had been, but he really wanted to save Bucky.

\----------

0⃣️ Yeah Rumlow is also dark. If you look at it this way, he isn’t out of character. [what

1⃣️ A Rumlow-centered middle chapter. You can see it as an extra chapter.

There are hints in this chapter about the cause of Loki’s death, which I’m not going to say more about, you can see it either as an accident or as a homicide, cuz I guess an accident sounds just as good… I’ll mention the reasons in the epilogue. I really want to do an epilogue.

3⃣️

The letters that Steve and Bucky wrote to each other were hidden by Rumlow, not the Red Skull.

Gibberish from the beta: about the “dead-ivy league”: the original words were “9850死神大学”, which translates directly into “9850 death university”. I assumed that the author was referring to a 985 university. We have several universities in china that we call 985 and 211. A 985 university means a really nice one, top class. But I guess you won’t be familiar with the concept of “985211”, so I changed it into “ivy league” (with permission from the author of course) and added a “dead” before the “ivy”.


	16. Choice

1

There were no one in the cemetery before dawn, nor any ghosts. But two Reapers were standing on the grass, staring gravely at a brand-new gravestone.

Well, “brand-new” is an odd word to describe a gravestone, but it’s only recently been thrust into the earth. The granite surface was polished and a few bunches of flowers were laid before it. Some droplets of rain were left on the petals, shining in the moonlight.

Peter held the machine in one hand and wandered around the tombstone for a long time. Not even a ripple appeared on the screen.

“Just asking,” Wade asked casually, looking at his busy colleague, “What’s the range of your soul scanner?”

“The radius is 100 meters.”

Wade frowned slightly. “I thought they recommended 500 meters in the Reaper’s manual.”

“That’s too expensive… this one is on sale and comes with a free frying pan.”

“Come on… would you stop being so cheap?”

“And who’s fault is that?” Peter suddenly exploded and scowled at his partner. “If you hadn’t lost a soul last year, would I have lost my year-end bonus? Who’s to blame if a technician like me have to accompany you out in the field?”

The sudden counterattack made Wade feel a bit awkward, and he tried to ease the situation by whistling.

“Just an animal soul…”

“Aren’t animals living crea…” he didn’t finish his sentence. The anger on Peter’s face suddenly turned to shock. He pushed Wade aside and looked anxiously towards the northern skies.

The elder Reaper turned in confusion and saw smoke billowing from the forest in the distance. Firelight shone below.

“There’s a fire. is anyone going to die… tonight?” Peter said with a touch of sadness.

“That would be too bad,” Wade said, patting his partner on the shoulder and sighing a little sadly. “I really don’t want to work extra hours.”

2

The cellar was filled with the crackling of wood being engulfed by the flames. The red flames were like tentacles of a monster, raging greedily through the cellar accompanied by thick smoke.

There were only 12 steps from the cellar to the bedroom on the first floor, but Steve still had a hard time walking. Bucky had one hand on his shoulder -- the one that was still intact. He could barely look at the other. If it was possible, he wished the wounds could be transferred to him… but that wasn’t what made Steve truly desperate.

He’s too light, Steve thought.

The Bucky he remembered had always been big and tall, he was always standing in front of Steve, always reaching down to him.

When did he become so small?

When did he… get wounded all aver?

Why didn’t I… find out about this until now?

Tears were burning in Steve’s eyes as he shook his head and continued climbing the steps.

Thor followed them, pushing them up with his hands from time to time. The stairs were too narrow for him to be of much help, so he had time to look back. Between the smoke and the firelight, he saw that all the furniture, which had been hurtling towards the Red Skull, were now frozen in mid-air -- then they fell like raindrops and landed with a crashing sound.

Thor took a deep breath. He saw the figure in the pile of furniture had started moving.

“Run --”

3

**Every kid has a hero’s dream, and Loki is no exception. When he was really young, he wanted to play the hero in a fairy tale. He wanted to cut off the head of the most ferocious dragon with the sharpest sword and bring back the shiniest treasure and a princess, and save his beloved kingdom.**

**But Thor was always the hero.**

**“You are too little. The hero should be the strongest.” said Sif. She was Thor’s friend.**

**“You are too weak. A hero cannot slay dragons and monsters without strength.” said Hogen. He was also Thor’s friend.**

**“You’re always alone. A hero needs a lot of company, just like us!” Volstagg put his arm around Fandral’s shoulder, and the two boys burst out laughing. They were all Thor’s friends.**

**“Most of all,” Thor smiled and rubbed Loki’s hair. “Brother, you are too timid. A hero has to sacrifice himself. It is not easy. Let me protect you!”**

**And so, Thor always stepped in front of him.**

**Blocking out the danger. And the light.**

**“If you wish to, maybe you can play the princess?” Someone joked, and the children laughed.**

**But Loki didn’t laugh, not because he was angry, because he knew that Thor was right, that he was really just a coward.**

**He was incapable of self-sacrifice.**

Almost as soon as Loki heard the word “disappear”, the flying furniture suddenly stopped in mid-air -- then they crashed down.

4

“Will I… die?”

Loki stared blankly at his hands, which had been solid and powerful until about an hour ago, but were now as transparent as shadows in the dusk, as if they would vanish into thin air in the blink of an eye.

“Don’t be silly, you’re already dead. You can’t die twice.” Said the man in the black-and-red tights. “You will simply disappear. You will cease to exist in any part of the world and can’t even get reincarnated.”

Loki looked at Death, trembling. For some reason, he felt the Reaper was a bit blurry, like a faint shimmering mist.

“Is there no way to fix this? Didn’t you say that…the soul is an energy? Can’t it be replenished?”

“You’d have to be able to find another soul. Is there another ghost around here? If there is, and he’s willing to help you, you might have a chance, but it’s impossible. You know, you’re the only one who’s died in this town lately.”

“And it’s unnecessary,” the man held out his hands, “because it’s not too late to stop. Your soul concentration is barely above a safe level. If you stop trying to control physical matter, you’ll be fine. But if you use it again, even once, you’re gone.

“Well, what’s your choice?

“Die to save them?

“Or… watch them die and live?”

Death paused, chuckled, and pointed with a finger.

Amid the flames and smoke, the mountain of debris and furniture was moving. After the flying furniture lost their power, the Red Skull stood up again.

He hunched and panted then coughed furiously from the smoke and looked up at the three figures staggering up the stairs. In the glare of the firelight, his face, black and blue and swollen, appeared hideous.

The Red Skull gave a bellow and sprang like a hungry wolf towards the stairs.

Loki’s face paled in an instant.

Conflicted, aren’t you?

Hesitating?

Painful, isn’t it?

Under his mask, the Reaper smiled an evil and forlorn smile.

He knew that everyone would choose himself, just as he had done.

5

**Rumlow didn’t care about Loki. He just wanted to save Bucky. To make sure this was done, he hid in the dark and watched in silence.**

**When Bucky’s ambush failed, he thought his plan was also going to fail. So, in a panic, he used his soul power the-second-to-last time, lifted the rug in the master bedroom and dropped the black teddy bear on the floor.**

**The two blond boys did come, but who would have thought they couldn’t beat his father.**

**Of course, Rumlow thought, he already knew how powerful Schmidt was. That’s why he never stood up to him though knew Schmidt was crazy. Schmidt taught him to use fear to control everything, but also controlled him using fear.**

**Rumlow was glad to see Loki using his powers to save Bucky, but what he felt more was dissatisfaction. He thought of his own actions during the first two weeks.**

**After accidentally discovering that he could manipulate objects, he tried to stop Schmidt while he was abusing Bucky. He broke the lamp, broke the glass, and threw the whip against the wall.**

**Each time, Schmidt was stopped by a sudden outbreak of paranormal activity. Humans are terrified of the unknown, and the infamous Red Skull was no different.**

**Rumlow was overjoyed. See, even in death, I can save Bucky.**

**I’m Bucky’s patron saint.**

**However, all of this came to an abrupt end when the Reaper came.**

**“Don’t try to save him. His life is his own. Four more times, and you’ll disappear forever.”**

**Wade’s words filled him with genuine fear.**

**Disappear… forever?**

**Death is painful enough, to become a ghost that no one can see or hear and roam the earth alone. He didn’t want to spend another day like this.**

**If it wasn’t for Bucky, if Bucky hadn’t been there, he might have lost himself in despair. He used to think it was his destiny to save Bucky, but was that just wishful thinking?**

**And what is disappearing forever? Is it more painful than death?**

**He asked death all about ghosts and learned that once you begin to dissipate, there is only one way to save you -- there are other ghosts around that are willing to share some of his energy with you.**

**“But it’s almost impossible,” the real Reaper told him. “Putting aside the harsh conditions, transferring soul energy requires the transferor’s complete willingness. Soul energy is fixed. Saving others means consuming yourself. Who would agree?”**

**“And,” said Death, looking sternly at him, “It is absolutely forbidden to take the energy of the soul by deception, so don’t try anything.”**

**Rumlow smiled, thinking that he did deserve the title of Death. Wade saw through him so easily and killed his only hope.**

**After that, whenever his father began to abuse Bucky, Rumlow would cover his ears and cry in a distant corner.**

**I’m sorry, Bucky. It’s not that I don’t want to save you, but I… don’t want to dissipate.**

Amid Schmidt’s frenzied roar, Rumlow looked at the wavering Loki with great relief.

Look, it’s not my problem. Everybody chooses themselves.

But just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a splash of gold going the other way. Rumlow was shocked to see a figure leap towards the Red Skull.

“Steve, you go with Bucky first!”

In the leaping firelight, Thor and the Red Skull collided.

6

“Thor?”Steve looked back, saw the two men fighting and wanted to help, but the unconscious Bucky almost slid off his shoulder and he had to stop.

“You go first!” Thor didn’t even look behind him. He was busy blocking out the Red Skull’s fists and could barely shout out.

Steve was caught between his best friend in the fire and Bucky who was about to die. Standing only two steps below the bedroom floor, he was unsure what to do.

“Go now! If you don’t Bucky will die! I’ll go with you after I’m finished with this guy!”

Thor’s words gave Steve a jolt. Bucky had lost conscious for some time. He would have died of blood loss soon. Steve gritted his teeth and shouted at Thor. “I will come back for you!”

Then he took a step up and disappeared behind the trapdoor.

“No-- don’t try to take him!” The disappearance of the adopted son sent the Red Skull into a frenzy and his fists rained down on Thor.

“Why?” asked Death. “Why did he stay? Did he not know that he might die? How could he choose to sacrifice himself for others?”

“Because he’s Thor,” Loki said. “He’s stubborn and reckless and never knows how to defend himself.”

“But that’s why Odin likes him better, ‘the warriors four’ like him, everyone likes him, even I do…” Loki said quietly. The hesitancy on his face had vanished at some point, and he ended up smiling with only a hint of nostalgia.

He raised his hand gently and aimed at the Red Skull’s red skull. The two men were struggling fiercely. It was not easy to aim, but he could wait.

“What are you doing?” The voice of the Reaper was shivering and filled with shock.

“I’m helping him, Thor can’t do it alone.”

“But why? Didn’t you hear what I just said? Use your soul energy again and you will disappear completely and can never reincarnate!”

“So what?” Loki asked dryly.

“Are you… are you willing to sacrifice yourself for others? Besides,” the man’s voice grew impatient, “Isn’t he the one you hate the most? Your brother, the one you envy the most! Don’t you hate your family the most? They lied to you! They made you think you’re like Thor, don’t you… hate Thor the most?”

“Of course,” said Loki, his pretty brows furrowed slightly, “But who says hate can’t exist with love?”

“I am a very timid person, I once believed that I would never do such a thing as self-sacrifice. But now, I just want to save Thor. Maybe I can be brave for once?”

The ghost looked at the man in the straitjacket. No, not a man, a boy. The thick disguise was peeling off and he could no longer hold himself together and imitate Wade. “Death” … no, a boy named Rumlow locked eyes with Loki.

He saw Loki as a frail, pale ghost, around fourteen years old, his body swinging like a shadow at dusk, a sign that he was at the point of vanishing. He didn’t lie. Loki would really “die” if he used his powers again. He could even tell that Loki was afraid, his shoulders were trembling a little, but he held up his hand firmly.

“Cowardice and courage can exist at the same time, so why not love and hate?”

“I hate him, but I know I have to save him, because Thor can’t do it without me.”

7

A shriek of pain interrupts the conversation. At some point, the Red Skull had had Thor pinned to the floor. He picked up the crowbar stained with Bucky’s blood and smashed it on Thor’s forehead, letting red cover the floor.

The flames were dancing and streaming around the two figures, producing clouds of smoke.

Thor’s raised fist fell feebly and he groaned in pain. The sound nearly choked Loki.

The Red Skull lifted the crowbar for the second time. Crowbar again. Couldn’t he be a little more creative and use something else?

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Rumlow continued. “You have only one chance. If you fail to bring down the Red Skull, Thor will still die, and you will have died for nothing!”

“I believe in him. He can do it. All I have to do is give him a chance.”

He believed him because Thor was a real hero.

Loki felt the familiar warmth rush from his heart to his palm. He felt his strength drained from him, for real this time – he was completely drained and he fell to the floor almost instantly.

The crowbar was still descending. Targeting Thor’s bleeding head.

An invisible ball of light whizzed towards the Red Skull.

Then there was a loud thud and the Red Skull fell backwards.

The thud startled Thor. He struggled to sit up, wiped the blood from his eyes and looked around in confusion. But he saw nothing.

In a corner he could not see, the body of a ghost was shining faintly, as if about to vanish into thin air in the twinkling of an eye.

“Was it worth it?” Rumlow asked, his voice emotionless.

“It’s worth it if you think it’s worth it,” Loki said with a laugh. His hand sparkled and shimmered then gently vanished into the air.

\----------

0⃣️ Spoiler alert… the “Choice” in the title of this chapter is the choice of three people, Steve’s not included.


	17. Death of a ghost

1

Hela was awakened by a series of screams.

She picked up the phone from beside her pillow and, bleary-eyed, lit up the screen. It was barely four o’clock. She cursed and rolled out of bed then went to the window.

Outside the window, people were running in the street. Some had buckets in their hands.

“What are you doing? What’s going on?” Hela called out to a familiar-looking boy with brownish-black hair. It was Tony, a classmate of Thor’s. He even had hair gel on.

“Mr. Schmidt’s house is on fire,” Tony said. “It’s getting worse. We’re going to help. Sister Hela, if you’re coming, please bring Thor with you.”

Hela nodded. The fire was a big deal, and the whole town might be in danger. She picked up a black leather jacket and walked briskly out of her room.

“Thor! Thor!” She banged on the door of her brother’s room, but got no response.

Heal tutted, muttered that Thor slept too deep and pushed open the door.

In the pale moonlight, the red curtains, trimmed with gold, were swaying in the wind. The bed was empty.

2

“This is so stupid.” Rumlow said.

Loki’s body was slowly dissipating, first his hands and then his arms, his soul turned into tiny fragments and shimmered in the firelight.

“Maybe.” said Loki, a little lost, a little sad. Of course he didn’t want to die if he could choose. He wanted to grow up normally, to read in the library, to go out and play with his friends on holidays. Oh, he didn’t have any friends. Bucky might be one, but humans and ghosts are all different.

“What are you doing, playing hero? Don’t try to be a Martyr, you think you’d look handsome or what?” Rumlow was furious. “You’re going to disappear now, and no one will remember you did it. Thor won’t even know you saved him.”

“But I did save him,” Loki said. “That’s a fact, and it doesn’t disappear just because people don’t remember it. My help will be a part of his life. I know that he’s alive because of me.”

“This is so stupid.” Rumlow repeated. “Are you trying to console yourself?”

“Isn’t it romantic to sacrifice yourself for someone you love? Besides, I’m already dead, so it’s no big deal to die again. If Thor dies, Frigga will fall apart.” Loki was somber.

“Sacrifice yourself for the one you love?” Rumlow murmured. Growing up, Schmidt had taught him to put himself first.

**“There is no one more important than you, my dear Rumlow.”**

He had always believed it and carried it out, but now he felt that his view of life had completely collapsed.

“I’m sorry, was it your mission to take me to Heaven? I apologize but your mission is about to fail.” Loki shrugged. He could only shrug, because his hands had completely disappeared. Soon his shoulders would disappear too, and then he could only nod his head.

“No, it’s not you who should apologize.” Rumlow whispered.

It’s me.

I killed you “for Bucky”, I did something selfish. I’m the one who should be apologizing.

Rumlow clenched his fist.

He was startled by a roar-- the Red Skull had sat up again!

3

“Is he a fucking cockroach?” Thor, who had stumbled to the edge of the stairs, turned his head in surprise.

His forehead was still bleeding and his vision was blurred. When the Red Skull came at him, he could hardly fight back, and couldn’t help but fall down the stairs.

The wooden staircase was half smashed, pieces of wood lodged in Thor’s stomach. The pain made him cringe. But the ordeal was not over, and the next moment fists rained down on his body.

“See, I was right, you can’t save anyone.” Rumlow sneered.

Loki gritted his teeth. Rumlow’s words irritated him, but his hands were long gone, and he could do nothing but watch Thor’s body slowly collapse under the Red Skull’s attacks.

“You idiot,” Rumlow laughed. “You have sacrificed yourself in vain, you cannot save anyone!”

“I saved Bucky,” Loki shot back. “At least Bucky survived because of me. I’m a lot better than you. You just stood there and jeered!”

“You saved Bucky… you?” Rumlow’s face twisted under his mask. “Bucky wasn’t saved because of you! After all I’ve done, after all I’ve planned, after all I’ve been waiting through, who are you to say this?”

“What did you say?” Loki looked at Rumlow quizzically.

“Fool. As the Chinese saying goes, ‘the doer should undo what’s done’. You think you can save Bucky? You think you can beat my dad?

“No, I’m the only one who could do it,” Rumlow said, his face suddenly clearing up. He grabbed Loki by the neck, which was the only place he could grab now.

“You… you can touch me?” Loki struggled. Though the ghost didn’t need to breathe, the feeling of being grabbed by the neck still bothered him. “Can Reapers do that?”

“Not a Reaper,” said Rumlow, the black-and-red suit peeling off him and falling to bits, disappearing like ashes in the billowing flames and black smoke.

“A ghost.”

He gave Loki a scornful look. “Stay alive. Ah, maybe ‘alive’ isn’t the right word.

“Anyway. Watch closely and see who can really save Bucky and save everything.”

A warm current coursed down his neck and into Loki’s body. He felt his missing arms and hands ‘grow’ back.

He raised his head in surprise and saw a dark-haired boy. A familiar-looking dark-haired boy.

“Are You… Rumlow?” Loki couldn’t believe it. A guy who had been dead for a whole year had appeared before him.

But Rumlow did not look at him. He walked straight to the Red Skull without looking back.

“You watch this, stupid. You don’t know anything about medicine. How do you beat my dad?”

Rumlow’s body flickered in the firelight. Loki knew, it signaled that he was about to dissipate.

“You’re also…”

“Shut up and watch!” Rumlow shouted. He raised one hand, and the crowbar that had fallen into the corner flew to his hand.

Rumlow hmphed and turned the crowbar, pushing the sharp end forward, and reached out to “grab” it. Wade was right. He’s a genius at manipulating soul energy.

“You think you can take a man down just by hitting him on the head? Aim at Achilles' heel. It’s the same with killing a man. you have to choose the place where he is most vulnerable, such as… the carotid artery.”

As he spoke, Rumlow rose to his full height and lunged forward, the black crowbar striking a searing arc across the Red Skull’s neck, and then there was a loud “psst!” and blood spurted out.

The sudden attack shocked the Red Skull. He put his hand to his throat and screamed silently. Blood was pouring down his windpipe. He couldn’t speak a word, and could only back away slowly.

He’s dying.

He’s going to die!

No --

Almost as soon as he realized this, two shadowy figures slowly emerged before the Red Skull’s eyes. Not Thor, Thor was still panting on the crumbled staircase.

Not Bucky and the nasty blond kid from Fury’s, but two unfamiliar figures, one with dark hair and green eyes, looking at him in horror, the other… no, not unfamiliar at all.

The Red Skull stretched out his hand and stumbled toward Rumlow, mumbling incomprehensive words, tears streaming from his eyes. He was going wild with joy.

Rumlow’s body was dissipating, as Loki did not long ago.

He looked back at Loki, who was at a loss, and smiled softly.

“See, that’s the best way to kill someone. You don’t know anything about killing. Now you know who saved Bucky?”

“Why did you save me?” Loki raised his hand. He had returned to the near-vanishing state from not long ago, but now at least he is “intact”.

“I don’t know,” Rumlow said. “Maybe… maybe it’s because I’m the only one who can kill my father. Maybe because I’m the cause of all this tragedy. Or maybe it’s because… I owe you this.”

Rumlow took one last look at Loki and, without looking back, walked into the flames, toward Schmidt, who was silent and weeping, but ecstatic.

“Dad, come here.”

These were his last words. The fire consumed Rumlow, and with him, the Red Skull who was rushing towards his son.

4

The sound of the sirens. The flashing lights of police cars and the chatter of onlookers. They made Hela’s head ache. Marvel town was so small. Even the fire department was shared with DC town next door. It’ll take a while for the fire engine to get here.

Flames flapped frantically through the windows of the Schmidts’ house, shattering the glass and turning the ash-colored sky a brilliant red.

Sergeant Fury had set up a cordon to keep everyone away. Then he joined the volunteer fire brigade, which was organized by the townspeople themselves, and used garden hoses and buckets to try to put out the burning house.

“Where’s Thor?” Frigga asked Hela, and the girl shook her head. Odin went to help put out the fire. Frigga was standing behind Hela. They were still in mourning from the funeral not too long ago, and came out mainly to distract themselves.

“I heard that Steve is missing too. Maybe they’re hanging out somewhere…” Hela said casually.

“Someone’s coming out!” Hela suddenly heard a woman shout. She looked at the Schmidts’ door and saw that it had been kicked open. A boy appeared at the door. He was wounded all over and was covered in dirt. There was another boy on his back.

He stumbled a few steps then his feet couldn’t bare his weight any longer. He fell on the ground, not far from where Hela was standing.

Officer Barton rushed over and was shocked when he recognized the boy.

“Steve? It’s you!”

“Bucky… save Bucky…” Steve started coughing furiously.

Barton called the paramedics and they carried Bucky away. When one of the doctors tried to lift Steve up, the boy stubbornly pushed him away.

“I’m going to save Thor, I promised him… cough,” the boy struggled to get up. “Thor’s still in there…”

As soon as she heard the name “Thor”, Hela broke through the cordon. She heard Frigga calling after her, but she didn’t turn around.

“Where’s Thor?” she asked as she approached Steve, ignoring Officer Barton’s “you can’t come in here”.

“Go straight in, cough... go through the living room, under the trap door on the master bedroom floor…” Steve coughed as he tried to get up, but Hela held him by the shoulder and pushed him back into place.

“I’ll go,” she said, then grabbed a wet towel from officer Barton’s hands, covered her nose and mouth, and rushed through the glowing door.

Officer Barton was yelling behind her.

5

The fire’s getting worse in the cellar. But the flames were never the deadliest. The smoke billowing over the house was.

Loki crouched by Thor’s side, helpless. Even though Rumlow shared his spiritual energy with him and kept him from dissipating, he was still unable to help Thor.

Spiritual energy can move objects, but only those that are not too heavy. Thor is 16 years old, 5’7”, muscular, weighing over 140 pounds. He certainly couldn’t move that.

“Thor! Thor, you fool, get up --” he growled, but quickly quieted down. What was he doing? Thor couldn’t hear him.

It’s not like he’s close to death… Wait a minute. They’re in a fire and Thor’s not close to death?

“Loki?”

The spirit shuddered and turned his head in disbelief to find a pair of sea-blue eyes staring at him.

Yeah, staring. Eyes on his face. Thor really saw him.

“Loki… is that you?” his brother said in a husky voice.

“What the hell you can hear me? And see me too?” tears welled up in Loki’s eyes.

It meant his brother was about to die!

Loki sprang to his feet.

“Loki, I’ve missed you so much, god is this a hallucination? I…” Thor choked with sobs. He coughed twice, and tears fell to the floor like crystals. “I’m sorry… Loki.”

“What are you apologizing for? Can you move? Get your ass up!” Loki looked around, searching for something to help him.

“Loki, I should have found out sooner… I should have held you… If I had held you before you left the house, you wouldn’t be dead.”

Loki was in tears.

“You bastard,” he glared almost viciously at his brother. “That’s what I hate most about you! Who do you think you are? God? All-embracing? All-saving?

“It’s not your fault I died, you don’t know any more than I do, do you? Yes, of course you did wrong, your fault is that you’re the favored child, your fault is that you’re always the best!”

“Loki… I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were so upset all the time…”

“Stop apologizing, get the fuck up, if you die, I’ll hate you forever! I’ll haunt you, you can’t reincarnate, and you’ll be a ghost for the rest of your life!”

Thor laughed, then he started coughed furiously. He heaved himself up, grabbed the edge of the stairs with his scarred palm, turned himself over and lay face down on the stairs.

“Don’t stop, move, climb if you can’t stand up, you have to live, you hear? If you die, mom and dad and Hela will fall apart…” Loki looked at Thor and wanted to tell him to stay low, and then realized that Thor was on his hands and knees and swallowed the words.

Thor heaved and heaved his way up the stairs as Loki told him to, his palms were slashed, his forehead was bleeding, his legs were horribly soft, but he kept moving.

“Yeah, six more steps, come on,” Loki was saying. “There’s only five now, don’t stop. Aren’t you the center on the school basketball team? It’s easier to get up the stairs than to play basketball…”

Thor nodded, listening to his brother’s encouragement. The pain seemed to go away, and he seemed to grow stronger. He grasped the frame of the trap door with all his strength.

The door frame was close to sizzling heated by the flames, but Thor gritted his teeth and pulled himself up.

“Well done!” Loki floated up through the ceiling, squatting on the ground-floor bedroom floor to cheer for Thor.

His brother pulled himself to the ground with both hands and feet, then stopped, gasping for air.

The walls on the ground floor were also burning. The Schmidts’ house was a wooden structure that burned easily. Flames were snapping at the planks and smoke was filling the house, making it almost impossible to see the way ahead.

“Just take a breath, move, I can see the way, I’ll show you how to walk… oh, I mean craw,” Loki said wryly. “Thor is crawling on the ground. I should take a picture and show it to your friends.”

Thor looked back at Loki and suddenly started laughing.

“What are you laughing at? It’s creepy. Don’t stop, craw.” Loki froze for a moment and quickly averted his eyes.

“Nothing. It’s just… It’s been a long time since we’ve fought… side by side like this.” Thor said as he crawled.

“Fight side by side? With who? Half a charred staircase?” Loki said gruffly. “Turn left up ahead. There’s a table. Oh, you should see it. A burning table stands out.”

“Loki, even though you may be my imagination, I want to tell you…”

“Oh, imagination, do you think you have such a vivid imagination? Don’t flatter yourself. be careful of the glass shards on the ground.”

“Ha ha, you’re right, I didn’t expect my imagination to be so realistic, as if… you are really still with me now.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, go straight ahead, it’s not far, go through the living room and you can…”

“Loki, I love you, mom and dad, Hela, we all love you. Whether we have a blood connection or not, you are my brother and you will always be my family.”

Loki looked down and saw sapphire eyes staring back at him, not hesitating or wavering, but overflowing with tenderness -- hell, he was serious.

“Stop talking and look forward.” Loki looked away.

“We grew up together, we lived together, we laughed together. That’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

“Shut up, I said crawl.”

“Tell me, brother, do you still love me?”

“Does it matter? I’m already dead!” Loki glared at Thor.

“It matters,” Thor insisted, his eyes unwavering. “It matters, and I’m not going until you answer me.”

“You’re such an asshole…” Loki said dejectedly.

“Thor --” a sharp cry came from a distance.

6

A figure plunged into the flames. Hela covered her nose and mouth with a wet towel and crouched down, searching the smoke and flames for Thor’s.

“Thor, where are you hiding, you idiot?” Hela ducked from a falling chandelier. She bent down and entered the living room. Smoke was blocking her view and visibility was low, but she searched closely until she saw the figure on the floor.

“Thor?” Hela ran over and slapped her brother in the face.

“Ouch,” Thor cried out. He blinked in surprise. “Hela, what are you doing here?”

“Then what should I do, wait for you to die here?” Hela said gruffly, crouching down with her back to her brother. She turned to ask, “Can you climb up yourself?”

“Yeah, I’ve been climbing a lot recently.” Thor said. He reached up and put his arm around his sister’s neck.

As they emerged from the Schmidts’ front door, Odin and Frigga were about to storm in fully armed. They were soaking wet with towels tied to their faces.

Two police officers tried to stop them, and one of them looked as if he was about to cry.

“Ma'am, please calm down. The fire department will be here in a minute! Just wait please! It’s really dangerous in there.”

“How am I supposed to calm down with my kids in there?”

“The house will collapse if we wait any longer.” Hela groaned and rolled her eyes. On her back, the blond teenager was asleep at some point, breathing steadily and smiling faintly.

In his “hallucination”, Loki kicked the ground with his toes and said those words, somewhat sheepishly.

**“I love you. you know, I love you more than anyone else.”**

\----------

Gibberish from the beta: school’s about to start on March1 and updates are going to slow down… I’ll try my best to finish this as soon as possible! A chapter a week perhaps… Only four chapters left now! Whoopee! If you can’t wait you can go to the original work and read Chinese or use google translate or something haha. Though AI (artificial imbecile) translations can get really funny.


	18. Remember me

1

He first noticed the smell of disinfectant. It was a bit pungent.

Then he heard the sound of liquid dripping from a height. He was covered with something, warm and heavy. He listened, and someone was running in a distant corridor. A middle-aged woman scolded, the footsteps slowed down, and then a door opened with a click and a person entered.

“You shouldn’t leave your room.” the middle-aged woman was saying.

“I’m sorry, Ma'am.” The voice sounded familiar. The name seemed to be on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t remember it.

“But I want to be with Bucky. Can I move into this room?”

The person spoke to the woman for a moment, then crept to his bed and stopped. A few seconds later, a warm hand brushed his hair.

“Bucky… I’m so glad you’re alive…” he heard a low sob.

Something cold tickled his face. He twitched his nose to get it off, but it just slid down.

He furrowed his brow, opened his eyes slightly, and was blinded by stark white.

“Bucky, you awake?”

A bandaged blond head appeared in his vision, looking down at him. His blue eyes were red, but he was smiling.

“Steve?” he asked.

2

He had a thick cast around his left arm and an IV in his other hand, which made him feel like a puppet hanging from his hospital bed.

Steve said he’d been unconscious all day, and it was nine o’clock the next morning. The fire at the Schmidts’ house had been put out.

“Where’s… where’s my Dad?” Bucky’s mouth felt dry, fear raced through his chest.

“Don’t call him dad, he doesn’t deserve it.” Steve said, his face flashing a mixture of pity and hate.

“He’s dead.” he said at last. “The police found the burned body of the Red Skull in the cellar. He seemed to hold out his hand until he died, trying to hold on to something… He’s really become a skull now.”

Steve paused and spoke again. “Under the mud in the cellar, they also found the bones of a dog and an airtight crystal coffin filled with formalin and soaked with…”

“Rumlow.” Bucky said bitterly. “Da… Schmidt didn’t want to cremate his body. As for the dog, it was Tony’s Jarvis.”

“I’m sorry,” Bucky said, gasping for air. “He wouldn’t let me tell anyone. He threatened to…”

“It’s not your fault, Bucky.”

Bucky heard the peculiarity in the blonde boy’s voice. He looked up and saw that Steve was about to cry. His eyes were red and teary.

“I’m sorry I didn’t see you in pain sooner,” sobbed Steve. “The doctor says you’re covered in scars, new ones on old ones, but the worst are ones on your wrist…”

Steve grabbed Bucky’s right hand and held it so tightly as if he would never let go.

“Do you want to die?” Steve could no longer hold back his tears. Fat drops of tears fell from his eyes. Water stains quickly appeared on his blue-and-white striped shirt.

“They said you tried to kill yourself, they said you didn’t seem to want to wake up when they tried to save you, they said if they had taken you to the hospital a little later, you might have died…”

Bucky started crying, “I’m sorry, Steve, I’m sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing?” Steve looked up and cupped his hands around Bucky’s wet cheek, “I’m the one who should apologize, for not being able to be trusted, for being blind, for letting the Red Skull take you away, for not being able to see the truth the moment we met…

“I promised you I would do better, I promised to be someone you can trust, and I will even try to change the world to make it a better place for you to live in and worth leaving for.” Steve wiped away his tears, looking at him with eyes as blue as the sky after a rain. “The world doesn’t deserve you and I don’t deserve you, but we will all change and we will all get better. Could you just give the world another chance, give me another chance please? Could you promise me, will you… please stop thinking about dying?”

Steve was practically begging. He was begging.

Steve never begged. Even when he was just a skinny toothpick, he got pushed over a garbage can on a street corner and punched in the nose by someone twice his size… he didn’t beg.

It was only then that Bucky realized he had been wrong from the start. He thought running away from Steve is his way of protecting him, but if he died, Steve wouldn’t be able to handle it. Steve would mourn his death, he would weep for his death, and he would blame himself for his death.

If there was anyone in the world Bucky hope would never suffer, it was Steve, and Steve only.

Bucky reached out his undamaged hand and hugged Steve. He closed his eyes, letting the tears roll down his cheeks.

He spoke before he realized what he was saying.

“I promise.”

Those words were spoken from the bottom of his heart.

3

Steve told him everything that happened that night. Steve and Thor came to his rescue but got held back by the Red Skull. At that time, all the furniture in the cellar flew up, forcing the Red Skull to the corner and giving them a chance to escape.

“I know you probably won’t believe this, but it’s almost like it’s haunted,” he said. “the shovel and the crates were like homing missiles that automatically targeted the Red Skull. It’s like magic. It’s like… a patron saint’s protecting us.”

“It’s Loki,” murmured Bucky. Tears rolled down his cheeks once more. “God, where’s Loki?”

Bucky kept calling Loki’s name and it scared Steve a little. It wasn’t until Bucky promised to explain everything to him that Steve reluctantly left to visit Thor in his hospital room.

Bucky was leaning against the headboard, a bit sick from the acesodyne pump, but he was still hell-bent on staying awake, waiting for someone, no, a ghost.

Finally, just as he was about to fall asleep, a familiar voice sounded.

“You look ridiculous now, like a mummy.”

The familiar smirk, the untraceable sound, his invisible friend had returned to him in the empty hospital room.

“Loki!” Bucky exclaimed. “Glad you’re still here.”

“What, you miss me that much?”

For some reason, Bucky thought the ghost’s voice sounded adrift, not as solid as it used to be, as if wind whispering.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere until you finish your deal with me.”

“A deal?”

“Have you forgotten so quickly? You promised to tell my family what I wanted to say to them, I prepared a really long letter, and you will not break the deal. Or else I’ll have to haunt you, my friend. Have you ever heard of spirits stalking you?”

Bucky laughed. “Of course I remember that. How could I forget?”

“By the way, Loki,” Bucky continued, “I know it’s a little late for that, but I want to thank you, for everything.

“I heard from Steve that after I passed out, you did a lot of things in the cellar. You saved me, you saved everyone. I’m really glad I met you…”

“Hey, why are you getting emotional? Come on, it’s not like you, besides, you helped me, didn’t you? Friends… should help each other, right?” The ghost’s voice grew quieter, the last two words sounded unconfident, as if probing.

“Sure,” Bucky said with a smile. “we’re friends.”

The ghost laughed. He paused then spoke again. “Since we’re friends… could you promise me one more thing?”

“What is it?”

“I want you to live, live long and prosper, don’t try to kill yourself or anything, and… I want you to remember me. No matter how much time past, don’t forget me, OK?”

Bucky nodded earnestly. “I was going to tell you even if you didn’t bring it up. I’ll live, Loki, I swear. I’ll live.”

Then the boy said with some confusion, “But why the part about remembering you? Of course I won’t forget you Loki, how could I forget you when you chatter around me all day?”

Bucky frowned. “Are you… going somewhere?”

The wind caressed the curtains. It felt like a hand through Bucky’s hair. Gingko leaves were drifting down outside the window. No response.

“Loki?” asked Bucky.

“Loki? Why aren’t you talking?”

But no matter how many times he asked, no response came.

Like a soap bubble floating gently in the sun, the ghost disappeared swiftly and silently.

4

Thor’s surgery was successful, he was able to move around in a wheelchair the day after. He’s got over 30 stitches in his abdomen and a pretty nasty concussion, but thanks to the current medical expertise, he would pull through.

It was the sixth day after the fire. It was a clear day. The sky was blue. The air smelled of grass. Hela was wheeling Thor down the hospital corridor with Frigga and Odin trailing behind, all four of them confused.

Steve led the way. He said Bucky wanted to meet them. After the incident, Frigga came to see Bucky, she knew that Thor had saved him and knew of all the terrible things that had happened to this child. She even considered adopting him. But ever since Sergeant Fury decided to become Bucky’s guardian, Frigga thought things had come to end.

But apparently not.

Steve pushed open the door to the hospital room. Bucky was sitting on the edge of the bed. The wind ruffled his hair. His eyes looked red. At the sound of the door, the boy turned his head and smiled.

“Thank you for agreeing to come.”

Frigga was the first to speak. She smiled softly. “Bucky, are you feeling better?”

“Much better, thank you for your concern, Mrs. Odinson, and thank you for the fruit, they’re delicious.” Bucky said gratefully, then he motioned to the group to sit down. “Thanks for coming all this way. I just wanted to tell you two things.”

The Odinsons had the same look of bewilderment on their faces.

“Mr. and Mrs. Odinson, first of all, I want to thank your eldest son who saved my life. It’s a debt I would never forget, and if I ever get the chance, I promise to repay you.” Bucky looked at Thor and nodded gratefully.

“It’s okay. It’s what I should do.” Thor said, scratching his head sheepishly. “If you’re a friend of Steve’s, you’re a friend of mine.”

“And then the second thing,” Bucky said, scanning the five people in the room. As he looked at Steve, he saw the blond boy nod at him. He summoned his courage and forced himself to open his mouth.

“I want to thank your youngest son for what he did for me over last half month. I couldn’t have done it without him. If it wasn’t him, I might have, might have died…”

The Odinsons looked shocked.

“You mean Loki?” Frigga asked.

“Did he help you when he was alive?” said Odin, looking extremely sad.

“Not alive,” Bucky shook his head, trying to calm down, “I know what I’m about to say is hard to believe, and you might think I’m crazy, but I swear I’m telling the truth. In some ways, Steve and even Thor can vouch for me…”

Bucky took a deep breath and look at the Odinsons.

“Do you… believe in ghosts?”

5

Summer was soon over.

More than a month later, the ruins of the Schmidts’ house were no longer smoking, and the town government had put up signs saying that it intended to tear down the house and build Marvel’s own fire brigade on the site.

After all, the DC fire department was too busy to get here in time for an accident.

The day Thor left the hospital, Sergeant Fury was moving. Steve was putting boxes and boxes of possessions into the trunk of a Volvo.

Thor went up to greet him. He had his hands in his pockets and kicked a pebble at random.

“Are you moving out today?”

Steve nodded. “Bucky’s left arm is pretty banged up and the equipment at the Town Hospital isn’t too good, so we’re going to go to a big hospital in New York for his operation.”

Thor looked a little forlorn. “So… are you coming back?”

“Maybe,” Steve said, putting his arm around his friend’s shoulder, “but even if I don’t come back, we’ll always be friends, and one day we’ll meet again.”

Thor immediately smiled.

“Yeah,” he said, “if we do not meet again while we are alive, when one of us dies first and becomes a ghost, we will find another!”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Steve punched his best friend. “Only people who are close to death can hear ghosts. If you die first, are you going to beat me half to death before you talk to me?”

“Hey, what makes you think I’m gonna die first? Why aren’t you dying first?”

“Don’t forget, you’re two months older than me.”

“Then I’m stronger than you!”

Tony walks past the two with a puppy and made a face. “What are you two giggling about?”

“About what’s gonna happen when we become ghosts.” Thor said, his answer met with a blank look from Tony.

“Tony, you have a dog?” Steve asked, with a concerned look on his face. “I thought… you wouldn’t have a dog after Jarvis died.”

Tony shrugged. “It’ll pass.”

“Besides,” Tony said, smiling at the puppy nosing at his feet, “It really looks like Jarvis.”

“How Old is it? It looks so small.” Thor said.

“One month old, born just a few days after the fire.”

“What are you going to call it?” Thor crouched down and stroked the puppy, the soft touch making him grin.

“Vision.” Tony said. “Isn’t it awesome?”

“Why does that sound like a superhero name?” Thor quipped.

“No, I think it’s more like a glasses brand,” Steve said.

In the late summer breeze, the laughter of the three boys went on for a long time.


	19. Last wish

0 

Two Reapers gazed down at the bodies in the cellar amid the smoke and flames, the machine in their hands silent.

“There were two souls here, but they dissipated.” Peter said sadly.

“They’re not our mission, let’s go.” Wade tugged at him and turned to leave.

He gave a soul the deadline of a year, but that soul was never coming back.

1

When Jarvis heard its young master calling its name, it stood up, its long tongue hanging out of its mouth, and ran over, wagging its tail.

Tony sat cross-legged on the floor. His black suit pants were crumpled and looking as if they hadn’t been changed for a long time. He covered his face and his small body was quivering slightly. He was crying.

Even though Jarvis was a dog, it knew that crying meant sadness. So, as usual, it sprang up and pounced on its young master. It wanted to lick his cheek and lick away those salty tears, and then let his master bury his head in its soft fur and snuggle with him. He’s going to feel so much better.

It used to do this all the time.

But this time… it didn’t touch anything. Jarvis glided through the child’s body and landed on the floor behind him.

It turned doubtfully and pounced again, but still failed.

It’s so strange, Jarvis thought. It couldn’t understand why. It saw its young master slowly raise his head and crystal tears were sliding down his face.

“Jarvis… where on earth are you?” Tony said.

Jarvis barked, here I am, it answered.

But its young master did not respond and sobbed quietly.

Jarvis lowered his ear sadly, for it did not understand why its young master had ignored him?

2

Jarvis was a dog, and a dog’s world was very simple. It consisted only of itself, its master, other people, and meat. Strange things started with a piece of meat.

Late one night a month ago, an “other person” came to the Starks’ lawn smelling of disinfectant. He called “good boy” and tossed a piece of meat in front of Jarvis.

Jarvis was supposed to bark, he was a dog and dogs have a protective nature, but the smell of the meat disturbed it.

So it carefully went up, intended to sniff first and then bark, but after it sniffed everything ended.

Jarvis didn’t remember what happened next, only that it woke up again floating.

Dogs weren’t supposed to float. They’re not balloons, they walk on four legs. They’re supposed to stand on the ground.

But it was floating in mid-air, and beneath it was that disinfectant smelling “other person”. The man was squatting on the ground with a knife, working at something.

Jarvis blinked. There was a red mass below him on the ground, the knife was cutting through skin and flesh with a shrill slashing sound.

Jarvis instinctively got scared, so it fled, or rather “flew”, flying up through the floor, forward through the wall and onto the road. It knew the road, it’s flat, there’s no pebbles, therefore comfortable to step on. Twice a day, in the early morning and at dusk, Tony would take it for a walk down the street.

Jarvis ran down the road, past the butterflies in the bushes, past the cat stretching out in the yard, and finally into the Starks’ driveway. It went across the lawn to the front door and walked over to the square dog door below the gate.

Tony’s got a sensor chip in Jarvis’s collar so if it got close to the gate, the lock on the dog door would pop open. That way, even with no one else at home, Jarvis was free to move in and out of the house.

But this time the dog door didn’t pop open and Jarvis almost thought it was going to crash into the door, but strangely it went in without hitting anything.

Standing in the Starks’ living room, it saw its young master curled up on the sofa. So it happily wagged its tail and pounced up, looking forward to a warm embrace, but missed.

From that day on, Tony never answered Jarvis again.

3

The life of a dog that nobody cared about was boring, but Jarvis didn’t want to go anywhere, it just stayed quietly, quietly with its master.

As Tony cried, it snuggled up behind him, head resting on its paws, quietly watching over him.

As Tony worked on his machinery and inventions, it lay on a blanket in the corner of the room and waited in silence.

When Tony couldn’t sleep because of nightmares, its big eyes were wide open as it lay still beside its young master.

Occasionally Tony would call its name subconsciously, and it would respond subconsciously, then the two of them, the dog and the human, would be consumed by a long stretch of silence.

The days were long enough for Jarvis to get a little lonely. Its little dog brain didn’t have a very clear idea of time, it only knew that a long time later, maybe weeks, months, a year… on another night of tossing and turning, Tony woke up to the sound of shouting outside the window. He wrapped himself in his coat and rushed out the door with a bucket of water.

Jarvis was excited, wagging its tail merrily. It had been a long time since Tony had raced with it on the road.

They stopped in front of a bright house, surrounded by people. Hot flames danced on the house, the sky was black with smoke, and Jarvis instinctively panicked at the crackling of the flames and the shouts of the people. It drew back its neck and retreated to the curb across the road, looking at its young master from a distance.

A few minutes later, it heard a strange ringing, as if from some kind of machine. It pricked up its ears and looked back only to see two people on the lawn.

“Wade, I found him!” A boy shouted excitedly. He came toward Jarvis, holding a strange machine shaped like a trumpet.

The closer they got, the louder the machine buzzed, the more excited the boy’s face got, and then… the boy saw Jarvis.

The look of excitement froze.

“A dog…?”

“No, a dead dog.” the man named Wade corrected.

Then he narrowed his eyes, looked Jarvis over, and asked, “Does it look familiar?”

The boy paused then started frantically pressing his cell phone. He looked up a few seconds later, looked Jarvis up and down, then gave his colleague an angry stare.

“It’s Jarvis, the soul you lost a year ago! I thought you said he wasn’t here anymore.”

4

They put a silver leash around its neck. Jarvis didn’t struggle. It sniffed and there was a reassuring smell about the two. It felt it could trust them.

But when they tried to lead it away, Jarvis sat down and continued to stare silently in Tony’s direction.

“Come along, good boy. I’ll take you to afterlife.”

The boy conjures up a dog biscuit, then a bone, meat, ice cream, a toy kitty… but whatever he used to seduce Jarvis, Jarvis didn’t budge.

It even bared its teeth when the meat appeared. It remembered the guy who smelled of disinfectant. If it hadn’t been for the sweet-smelling meat, maybe Tony would still want to care about Jarvis.

As the seduction tactic failed, the boy began to pull with brute force. The human and the dog started a tug of war on the side of the road. But neither won.

“Peter, why don’t you use the power of Death?” Wade asked. “Wouldn’t it be easier to pull the dog if you used all your strength?”

The boy shook his head. “That’ll hurt him.”

Wade sighed and crouched down in front of Jarvis.

“Listen, doggie, I’m late for a whole year so you had to wander around the world, and to make it up to you, I’ll give you a last wish…”

The boy exploded. “Wade! How can you give a dog a last wish?”

“It’s not like anyone knows,” Wade shrugged and continued to Jarvis, “If you come with us, I promise to reunite you with your master in the pet store. Of course, if he doesn’t recognize you by then and won’t take you away, then nothing could be done with it… This is just an opportunity, but would you take it?”

Jarvis stared at Wade with dark, round eyes.

“Does he understand?” Peter asked. “Don’t you think it’s funny that you’re making a serious deal with a dog?”

“Ruff, ruff--”

The Reapers bowed their heads and looked at Jarvis in wonder.

“Did he say yes? I didn’t take dog speak in Death college. I don’t understand.”

“Ruff!” The dog repeated again, and finally got up and started walking in the same direction the two had been dragging it.

5

Jarvis heard a boy shouting. It was daytime, and ever since it had followed the two Reapers, they had been wandering the streets, as if in search of someone.

At first, Peter kept the noisy machine on, but then he realized that as long as Jarvis was in range, it would ring and ring, and he had no choice but to turn it off.

As a result, the Reapers had to go blind.

“I told you not to buy that scanner on sale. Can’t it tell the difference between a human soul and an animal soul?”

“You brought your own scanner? You didn’t even bring your own equipment to the field. Why should I be blamed?”

In the midst of their quarrel, Jarvis stopped short and looked toward a white building on the side of the road.

It heard the cry of a boy.

The scent of a human was warm, like Tony. Even though Jarvis couldn’t hug him anymore, it could still feel a warm breeze when it’s around the boy.

The scent of Deaths was astringent, like the thin brownish skin on a walnut kernel. Staying with them always brought a sense of electric shock.

And the boy, the screaming boy, felt as cold as Jarvis itself, as cold as the winter wind.

“Ruff, ruff ruff--” Jarvis raised its head and looked at the two Reapers.

They might have found the person they’re looking for.

6

“I was going to tell you even if you didn’t bring it up. I’ll live, Loki, I swear. I’ll live.” Bucky was saying sternly in the hospital room.

Loki smiled. “Are you so enlightened now? Did Steve say something to you?”

Then Bucky said with some confusion, “But why the part about remembering you? Of course I won’t forget you Loki, how could I forget you when you chatter around me all day?

“Are you... going somewhere?”

Loki rolled his eyes. “How can you not answer the question? I’m not going anywhere, and I need you to help me talk to the Odinson family.”

The wind caressed the curtains. Gingko leaves were drifting down outside the window. No response.

“Bucky…?” asked Loki, a strong feeling of panic coming over him.

Bucky frowned. “Loki? Why aren’t you talking?”

“Damn, I’m talking,” Loki said, approaching the bed and raising his voice towards Bucky. “can you hear me?”

Bucky didn’t answer. He looked through the ghost and across the room, worry spreading on his face.

“Loki? Loki!”

“I’m here! Bucky!” The ghost shouted, barely a meter away from the boy.

“Loki? Stop playing pranks and talk to me.”

“I’m not playing a prank, I’m right here!” cried the ghost feebly as tears welled up in his eyes. He had a vague sense of what was going on, but he didn’t want to admit it. He just kept calling Bucky’s name until a grown man’s voice came up.

“Stop shouting, it’s no use.

“Only those who are near death can hear ghosts. The kid no longer wants to die and cannot hear you.”

Loki looked back with eyes clouded with tears. Through the curtain of tears, he saw a figure came out through the wall of the ward. Loki blinked and his vision cleared. He saw the man was wearing a familiar black-and-red suit and an odd mask.

“Rumlow?” asked Loki, but then he shook his head. Though very similar, the visitor had a very different temperament from Rumlow. He had an innate sense of danger about him, like a wild animal walking through the jungle.

“You are Death… the real Death.” Loki said.

“Bingo!” The man gave an exaggerated thumbs-up and saluted.

“My name is Wade, Death number 233, and it’s my job to take you to Heaven. As you can see I’m late, but that’s because I helped 203 old ladies cross the street on the way here, and I saved 79 cats that climbed a tree, I’m sure you’ll forgive me…”

As he spoke, a fist flew out of the wall and slammed into Wade’s head, turning what he had not said into a cry of pain.

“Wade, don’t lie to your clients!”

A brown-haired young man about fifteen or sixteen came through the wall. He was also wearing a red suit, with a spider on it. He had a dog on a leash, and to Loki’s surprise, the dog was also floating in mid-air -- it was clearly a ghost!

The boy’s face was angry. He glared at Wade before he turned to Loki. Then, a smile as bright as summer flowers spread across his face.

“Hello Loki! My name is Peter, Death number 250, partner of unreliable Wade, and we’re going to take you to Heaven.”

Loki looked incredulous. “Two weeks after I died…?”

7

If he had met the Reapers a day earlier, Loki vowed he would have called immediately to complain angrily about the bastards who had kept him on Earth for two weeks.

But now, despite the serendipity, the tardiness did change things. He saved Bucky and even spoke to Thor. If the days of being a ghost taught him anything, it was to take what he could get. Of course, Loki wouldn’t miss an opportunity to get something out of this.

“Can you complain Death?” The boy asked solemnly, narrowing his eyes.

“I’m so sorry!” Peter bent forward 90 degrees, holding Wade’s head down and making him do the same.

“It’s our dereliction of duty, please forgive the inconvenience that we brought you, but please do not complain us, that would affect the performance of this month!”

The corners of Loki’s mouth rose slightly, and in an instant, the expression on his face returned to sadness.

“Who would soothe my broken heart? I’ve been wandering the Earth for two weeks on my own, so lonely, so lost, I even went to my own funeral…”

Peter looked like he was about to cry, and he took Loki’s hand sadly, at a loss for words, until the man behind him grabbed his shoulder.

“Listen kid, I’m sorry we’re late, to express our apologies, I can do you a favor. Do you have a wish? You can have anything but a resurrection. It’s officially called a ‘last wish’.”

Wade looked to Bucky who was still calling Loki’s name, “Maybe you can say goodbye to your family and friends, most of the dead will choose it for compensation. Or you can have a barbecue, I’ve got a few good restaurants to recommend… by the way, staying here is not an option.”

“By the tone of your voice… this isn’t the first time you’ve been late?”

“Don’t say it out loud, it’s quite embarrassing!”

“Anything but a resurrection?”

“Hey, Deaths never lie.”

“Then my wish is that I make two wishes.”

“This is cheating… quit dreaming!”

“Well then, I wish…”

“I wish…”

That day, under the watchful eye of the dog Jarvis, the ghost named Loki made his last wish.

A few days later, Jarvis was reincarnated as a tiny corgi. According to Wade’s plan, it’ll be reunited with Tony at the pet store in a month.

Would Tony recognize it? Jarvis wondered, hoping with all his heart that the answer would be yes. It also sincerely hoped that the wish of the boy named Loki could be fulfilled.

**Author's Note:**

> The story is finished, but I want to see more comments, so I translated it into English, and if someone finds it funny and my translation can understand it, I will continue to translate.


End file.
